A New Breed Of Vampire
by wlfgang213
Summary: YAHF Xander get's bitten by a vampire and wakes up three days later changed forever. The strength and speed aren't so bad, but it's too bad about the the blood drinking. This is a 'Xander becomes a Twilight Vampire' story.
1. 01 - Becoming

AN1: This is a "Xander becomes a twilight vampire" story, but since there's no twilight characters in the story, I decided it doesn't count as a crossover.

AN2: I don't have the episodes of Buffy to watch as I write this, so I'm using a transcript sight, so forgive me if the descriptions are a little light.

AN3: I need to thank my inspiration: In The Twilight After Halloween by **Supersaiyangirl** and **A Sparkle On The Hellmouth** by BrightStar Kenobi

Chapter 01 - Becoming

Xander descended the stairs to his basement room, avoiding his family for another day. The drunks were home, and it took the skills of a spy to avoid them. That's why Xander decided to be a spy for Halloween. He had found an old tuxedo at the only thrift store in Sunnydale, and toy hand gun he'd had for years, and was going to go as double-oh seven.

He didn't have a choice, the troll that called himself a principle of Sunnydale high school had pulled Xander and his friends aside this morning, and told them they were escorting children to trick-or-treating. Not asked, told. As in they weren't given a choice. So having come home from school, he gathered the tux and gun, and dressed, then left for Buffy's house.

He arrived at Buffy's house not much later. He rang the door bell, and waited. The door opened, showing Buffy in a magnificent red gown.

"Agent double oh Harris reporting for-" He was struck speechless seeing Buffy. "Buffy! Lady of Buffdom, Duchess of Buffonia, I am in awe! I completely renounce spandex!"

Buffy curtsies in front of Xander. "But wait till you see..."

They both turned to look at the stairs as Willow came down wearing a white sheet with the word 'Boo' on it.

"Hi." Willow said.

"...Casper." Buffy finished.

"Hey Will, that's a fine boo ya got there." Xander said.

They left soon after, and headed for the school, where they were assigned children. Xander took his group to the side, and offered them tips for bagging extra candy, before asking them all what they were dressed as. There was the assortment princess, and monsters, and one kid who was a vampire, red contacts and all, but couldn't get the fangs to fit in his mouth.

They weren't out trick-or-treating long, when everything took a turn for the worst. The plastic masks stopped looking so plastic and the children started to growl and fight amongst themselves. Xander started to back up, when he was bitten by one of the children, the one that was the fang-less vampire.

Xander screamed and was starting to get woozy when one of the other children turned monsters slammed into Xander, knocking him to the ground, and knocking the vampire boy away from him. His arm was beginning to burn and Xander was trying not to scream when he heard his name being called.

"Xander!" Willow cried, as she ran over to him. "Oh my god, Xander, you're bleeding!"

"I got bitten by..." He panted heavily, trying to fight the burning that has now spread to his shoulder. "By one of the kids. Oh god it burns!"

He fell over and started to scream as the fire reached his heart. "Xander!" Willow said, as she fell to her knees, trying to touch him, but phasing right through him.

"Willow!" Called a familiar voice from behind her. She turned to see Angel running toward her.

"Thank god, Angel, Xander is in trouble, and I'm stuck as a ghost, and can't touch him. He needs help."

Angel saw Xander screaming. "What happened to him?"

"He was bitten by one of the kids. I dunno which one." She replied. Angel pulled back, and punched Xander in the side of the head, knocking him unconscious.

"What did you do that for?" Willow demanded.

"I can't stop whatever is happening to him, but I can stop him feeling it. We need to get him somewhere safe, then find Buffy."

"Oh god, Buffy. She was dressed like a eighteenth century woman. She's probably helpless."

Angel picked up Xander and hefted him onto his shoulder. "Alright, where can we take him?"

"Buffy's house is near here."

They ran fast, carrying Xander to Buffy's house, where they left him on the couch with Willow watching over him, while Angel went to find Buffy. He returned soon after, the currently helpless brown haired woman in tow.

"Alright, stay here, with them, I'll get Giles. He'll know what to do." Willow said, before running through the closed front door of the house. Angel soon heard screaming coming from outside, and ran out to save Cordelia from a pirate.

Half an hour later Willow returned, and moments later, Buffy pulled the wig off and hugged Angel.

"That was a lot of fun." She muttered sarcastically before turning to Angel. "Thanks for protecting me."

"You're welcome." Angel said.

"Buffy, what ever happened to Xander is still happening. It should have ended when the spell ended. Why didn't it?" As they watched, the unconscious Xander still twitched from the pain.

"I don't know. I'm going to call Giles." She retreated to the phone and quickly dialed the home number of her watcher.

"Yes, Giles speaking." Came his British accented voice over the phone.

"Giles, Xander was bitten by one of the kids. Whatever bit him is still affecting him, even though the magic is over."

"Good heavens." Giles muttered. Are you at home?"

"Yes." Buffy replied.

"Alright, I'll come over in my car, and we can take him to my apartment. I'll be there soon."

The scoobies, a name given to the group by Xander himself, watched over the boy as he continued to twitch in pain.

"What are we going to do... what are we going to do?" Willow muttered, as she paced about, worried for her Xander-shaped friend.

Moments later there was a knock on the door, that Buffy ran to answer. She led Giles into the living room, where Xander lie on the couch.

"Where was he bitten?" Giles asked.

"Here," Willow answered, "On his arm."

"Huh." Giles said to himself.

"What?" Cordelia asked.

"What? What is it?" Willow demanded.

"Well it's not like anything I've seen before, but it also looks like it's weeks old, rather then just an hour. At this rate, it'll be completely healed by this time tomorrow."

"Then why is he in so much pain?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know. Let's get him into my car, and we'll take him to my home, while we do research."

"I'll carry him." Angel offered. He scooped the squirming boy up and carried him out to Giles car, setting him in the back seat and off they went.

They spent the next three days researching, Angel staying to watch over him while the others were in school. As time progressed, his skin got paler every day. He features seemed to shift ever so slightly. He still looked like Xander, just... better. Occasionally he would regain consciousness, only to start screaming again. He would have to be re-knocked unconscious by Angel.

As for the researching, they came up with nothing. Occasionally they would think they had a break through, such as "Ah, the Ka'bla demon, who's bite causes extreme pain and convulsions." Giles said, then he read a little farther. "Average time till death, twelve minutes. Maybe not then."

And on it went, finding nothing for three days. Until finally, Xander woke up.

Angel had been sitting on the stairs watching the scoobies researching, while listening to Xander's heartbeat, which was pounding so loudly, he could hear it from down the stairs, when suddenly it stopped. Not wanting to alert his friends, he quietly slipped up the stairs, and was surprised to find Xander alive, even without a heart beat.

Xander felt the pain recede, a little bit at a time at first, then faster, as the fire in his heart got hotter and hotter, his heart beating faster and faster. Until the beating stopped and the fire died away, leaving Xander conscious and aware. He could hear every sound around him, including the beating of four human hearts down stairs, and the soft turning of pages. He heard the creaking of stairs as someone climbed closer, yet he also noticed the definitive lack of a heartbeat. He sat up slowly, and looked at his hands that were even paler then Angel's yet hard like marble. He thought about looking at his reflection, and was suddenly in front of the mirror, although the part in between, the 'getting up' and 'walking across the room' seemed to happen too fast.

His reflection was shocking, to say the least. His skin was a pale as he expected, after seeing his arms. His face had changed. He still looked like Xander Harris, if Xander Harris had been sculpted by Michelangelo. But it wasn't that which gave him pause, it was the eyes. The red eyes.

Another thing he noticed was his mind was working so much faster, he had so many ideas going at once. He already knew what he was, as he remembered the boy who bit him, Vampire. What he couldn't figure is, he didn't feel like one of the soulless breed, and he definitely didn't look like them, so he didn't know what to think. His mind was so active, that while part of him was freaking out, another part had already accepted it, and was busy cataloging changes.

While staring in the mirror, he heard movement behind himself, and glanced over to see Angel step into the room. As much as he was still freaking out, some part of his mind was amused that this supernatural hearing meant that Angel could no longer sneak up on him. No more mysterious appearing and disappearing. Then the scent his him, the scent of death.

"Xander, you're alive." Angel said, amazed.

"What of it, deadboy?"

"But... you're heart."

"You think I didn't notice? It's not beating. It seems I wasn't breathing either, until I needed to talk."

"Angel? Xander?" Came the voice of Buffy from the hallway.

Suddenly Xander's throat was on fire and he felt thirst like he'd never known before. He knew what this was, had been around enough vampires to understand the need to drink blood.

"Keep them away from me. I need blood."

The realization hit Angel like a dump truck. Xander was thirsty. "Go back down stairs." He told the girls, who had heard Xanders voice, and had come up to see if he was okay.

"Stay here. I'll get some for you." Angel said before leaving the room.

"I think he's some strange breed of vampire." Angel told everyone down stairs. He asked for blood, I think he's thirsty. I'm going to go get some for him, and I don't want anyone getting hurt, so please stay down here. If he's thirsty he could attack any one of you."

"Oh god." Willow muttered, tears running down his face.

Angel left, to get the blood, leaving the others to wait for him.

"Do you think he's still Xander?" Buffy asked. "I mean he's still himself, right? I don't have to slay him, do I? I dunno if I can do that, Giles."

"Of course not, Buffy." He said. "I'd never ask that of you. If it came down to it, I'd do it myself."

Little did they know, that Xander's super-hearing could make out every word they were saying. He was touched that Buffy didn't think she could kill him, and just hoped she wouldn't have to. Whatever kind of vampire-like creature he was, he knew he had a soul, which meant he could live on animal blood, like deadboy, and still be around his friends.

Angel was back sooner then expected, and headed up the stairs, finding Xander waiting for him.

"Here." Angel handed him a plastic bag. Inside was a plastic jug full of blood. "It's cow blood, from the butchers."

Xander opened it, and took a whiff. "Ugh. I can't believe I have to drink blood. Well, bottom's up, deadboy."

Xander chugged the whole container as quickly as he could. "Oh, that taste's horrible."

"Well, it's not human, but it'll keep you alive."

"Yeah, thanks. I think I'm okay to go downstairs now."

"Are you sure? I don't want you attacking anyone." Angel worried.

"Yeah, I'm alright. I think I'll be fine." Xander said. "I'd like to think I'm stronger then to attack my own friends. Also, it's not like I need your permission."

"I'm the experienced vampire here."

"So taking by your example, I'm supposed to wear all black, and hate myself?"

Angel just glared at Xander as he walked past him, and headed for the stairs. At the bottom he found himself surrounded by the smell of humans and blood, as he was hugged by Buffy and Willow. His mouth watered, but otherwise he didn't feel the need to eat them, and knew he would be okay.


	2. 02 - Realisation

Special thanks to JanusGodOfPossibilities, lordamnesia, syed, and frustratedbuffalo For reviewing.

And to answer the repeat asked question, SO far, I'm not planning to give him any extra power, I feel a twilight vamp in Sunnydale is overpowered enough. Though if you have any power suggestions, send them my way, if they feel right, I may just include one.

Chapter 02 - Realisation

"Vampire." Xander explained. "That's what the kid said. He was a vampire, but he couldn't get the fangs to fit, so... fang-less vampire?"

"That doesn't make sense." Giles contemplated, "Vampires have fangs, that's part of what they are."

"But I don't have fangs. Please tell me I didn't drink that blood for nothing."

"No no, there are plenty of other creatures that don't have fangs and drink blood. You must be one of those."

"Great, so you're telling me I'm a demon? But I don't feel soulless."

"You're still my Xander shaped friend," Willow said, "Even if that shape is so much..." She drifted off, not finishing the sentence.

"Here, try this." Buffy took off her cross necklace and held it up. Xander touched it, carefully at first, then when nothing happened, he scooped it into his hand.

"Nothing."

"Holy water?" Buffy asked. Giles retrieved a bottle, and poured some into a shot glass, which he passed to Xander. The boy carefully again touched the water, and again, nothing happened.

"I guess that means you're not a vampire. We'll research what you are in the morning, in the mean time, take my guest room, and try getting some sleep... If you can sleep."

It turned out he could not.

The next morning, he saw the light behind the shades get brighter, and carefully opened them, while standing to the side. Once the sunlight was shining into the room, he carefully reached out, expecting to burn, and was shocked by what happened.

"Huh." He said. Sparkles. He sparkled. That was new. He took off the shirt, which was part of the tuxedo and got a look at his bare torso for the first time. He was muscular. Since fighting vampires with Buffy he had developed some muscles, but now he was ripped. Another new change.

After getting over his new physique he stood fully in the sun to see if it was all over, and it was. He was sparkling like a diamond.

He spent the day reading through the books in Giles's private library, though most were in languages he didn't know, he found that he could remember everything he read. He was going to be the master of research time now.

At five thirty Giles, arrived home, followed not long after by Willow and Buffy.

"So, funny, story." Xander told them. "I stood in the sun today."

"Xander, what were you thinking," Buffy demanded, "It could have killed you!"

"But it didn't." He replied, "I um... I sparkled."

"Sparkled?" Giles asked.

"Like a diamond."

"Oh my god!" Willow declared. "I know what you are. Stay here, I gotta get something from my house."

And before any of them could respond, she had run out the door, leaving her book bag behind. She returned fifteen minutes later, four books in hand.

"You can't get vampire books in Sunnydale, I don't know why, but my parents bought these for me on one of their trips."

She held up a book titled 'Twilight'.

"It's about a vampire who falls in love with a human. But the thing is theseare fangless vampires that sparkle in the sun."

"So you think Xander turned into a fictional vampire?"

"It seems to fit, right down to the three day painful change. Here, you should read them." She passed the books to Xander, who started reading the first one. He read page after page so fast that his turning the pages were a blur. He finished the first page in minutes.

"Huh, I guess the speed is real." Willow observed.

"So, stone skin, nigh on unkillable, super strength, super speed... maybe this isn't going to be all bad." Xander said, after finishing the last book. "And If I'm reading between the lines correctly, I only need to feed about every two weeks or so."

"That's great. For regular vampires it's nearly every day." Buffy informed him.

"This means I can help you with the slayage, buffster."

"As long as you won't be hurt, then I don't see why not." Giles agreed, deciding that he too was going to read those twilight books.

It was getting dark when they left Giles's house, and walked Willow safely home, before Buffy and Xander headed to the nearby Sunnydale cemetery. It didn't take them long to find a group of four vampires, mostly fledglings, with one older vamp.

The vampire and the slayer charged forward, Xander keeping his speed to match Buffy's as they started to fight. At least, Buffy fought. Xander charged forward, and threw a full powered punch at one of the fledglings, hitting him so hard his head tore clean off his body, which exploded into dust. Seeing that, the other fledglings froze in shock, leaving Buffy fighting the older vamp.

Xander shot forward, shoving his hand through the chest of one of the vampires, gripping his heart in his hand, and ripping it from his chest.

"I could get used to this."

Running full invisible vampire speed, he got behind the third fledgling, pulling him into a headlock and with a sharp twist pulled off his head. Then ran to the fourth and stake him before the third had fully dusted. In that time, Buffy staked the older vamp, and they were done.

"Wish I had superpowers." Buffy grumbled.

"You do buffster, slayer strength, all that."

"But look what you did! Four of them in like ten seconds. I'm kinda jealous."

"I could always bite you." Seeing the look on her face, he rethought that. "Then again, maybe not."

They continued to sweep the many cemeteries in Sunnydale, and killed ten more vampires, before Buffy turned in for the night. Xander, knowing he couldn't sleep anyway, went to the bronze next, to sweep the crowd for vampires.

What he found though, was confusing to him. He came across four men herding a girl into the back alley. Thing was, they all had heart beats. It only took him a moment to decide to interfere.

"Hey." Xander called, as he approached the group.

"What do ya want, buddy? Can't you see we're busy?" One of the men called.

"Oh thank god," The girl cried, "help me, please!"

"That's what I'm here for." He didn't use his vamp super speed, he just strolled over, grabbed one of the men around the neck, and threw him against the wall, where he fell unconscious.

"Get him boys." The three men turned at once, and attacked Xander. The first throwing a punch to his face, That connected, but Xander's face didn't even rock back. There was a snapping sound, coming from the man's hand. He screamed in pain.

"Let me help you with that." Xander said, and tapped the man on the top of his head with his fist. The man dropped like a sack of potatoes. The other two men looked at each other for a second, then turned and ran. "So much for them."

He turned to the woman who was still shaking with fright. He grinned at her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm... I'm okay. Who are you?"

"Xander Harris." He introduced, "Come on, let me walk you home safely."

"Th- Thank you." She said softly. They walked across town to a small one story house. "This is me. Thank you, you're my hero."

She stared at him for a moment, hen moved forward quickly, kissing him on the mouth, before spinning, and running inside.

"Well that was a hell of a night."

Xander swept the cemeteries again, making sure there were no more vampires about. He found a pair of Vamps ransacking a crypt. Unfortunately, these proved to be a harder fight then the fledglings. They were well coordinated, and trained in combat. Xander decided he couldn't just rely on his stregth and speed, alone for now on. He needed training. Luckily, his speed saved the day, and he managed to kill both vamps. During the fight, one of them dropped a guilded box, Which Xander couldn't open, so he decided to bring it to Giles in the morning.

He returned to Giles house, just as the sun was rising, for another boring day stuck inside. He figured, even with the sunnydale effect, people would notice a man sparkling like a diamond.


	3. 03 - Lie To Me

This is a re-edited version of this chapter. Sorry about the typo's. I get so exited, i posted without proofreading.

Chapter 03 – Lie To Me

The days passed quickly for Xander, days spent indoors at Giles's house and training in combat, and nights spent hunting vampires. Xander drank as much animal blood as he could, hoping to turn his red eyes golden, and his plan worked soon enough, the red being only a memory. It was the next day, that Giles came home, gilded box in hand. Once situated, he began to speak.

"It took some research at the library, but I was able to open the box, and identify the items within." He muttered a Latin phrase to open the box. Inside were two golden medallions.

"What are they?" Xander asked.

"They were originally cast in Italy. They were stolen from a convent in Tuscany, apparently. It's mentioned in the Watcher diaries how a rather large coven of vampires was chased out of that city, during the 16th century. They are designed to allow vampires to walk in the sunlight, and give them a tan to pass as human."

"Who made such a thing?" Xander asked.

"The medallions have a rather murky history, I'm afraid. There are rumors they were forged by the same mage who also created the mythical Gem of Amarra, but no one's sure if that story is true. None the less, the artifacts do work, I've confirmed that through checking the Watcher diaries. So, would you like to try one on?"

As Xander took one of the medallions, Giles went to the window shades, which Xander had kept shut all day, and opened them, allowing the evening sun to shine in, causing the vampire to light up like a diamond. With a grimace, he slipped the medallion over his head, and let it settle around his neck. Instantly the sparkles vanished, and his skin took on a California tan making him better able to pass for human.

"Wonderful." Giles said, "Now you are able to return to school tomorrow."

Xander groaned. School. He hadn't thought about school since Halloween. He had already missed weeks, what's one more day? Unfortunately, Giles gave Xander one of his patented 'you are more mature then this' faces, that were so good at making Xander feel guilty if he didn't prove him right.

He sighed heavily, "Fine, school tomorrow."

That night, he waited till the wee hours, before going back to his parents house. All he had in his possession were the tux that he wore for Halloween, so he needed clothes, and it looked like he was staying at Giles's for the long haul. He hated staying at his parents house, and all it would take is one time of his drunken father trying to hit him, to make him realize Xander isn't so human any more. That just seemed like a bad idea all around. Maybe he should look for his own place.

Getting into the house was stupidly easy for his breed of vampire, he slipped through a window in the living room, then down to the basement. Once there he opened the closet and froze. Hawaiian shirts, and lots of them. What was he thinking? He dug through the closet, finding blue jeans, and a skin tight black t-shirt, all the better to show off his new physique. After changing and dumping the remains of the tux, he bagged up the few dark t-shirts he had, and all the jeans he had, then decided he needed to go shopping. For that, he needed money.

"Where do you get money?" He asked himself, before vacating the premises. He made it half way back to Giles's house, when he was accosted by a vampire.

"Well lookie what we got here." Said the vamp, who was dressed in eighties club wear, demon face on. "Dinner"

The vamp lunged forward, biting Xander on the neck. Or at least, trying to bite Xander on the neck.

"What the hell?" He asked, when he bit down on the marble-like skin, and his fangs couldn't penetrate. "What are you?"

Xander grabbed the vamp around the neck one-handed and lifted him off the ground. The vamp flailed, trying to hit and kick Xander, but his strikes were for naught, as Xander could hardly feel them.

"Hey, there's a thought." Xander said, "You got any money?"

"Wha- what?" The vamp asked.

"Money, you know, cash, moolah, denero. You got any?"

"Um.. yeah, yeah man," The vamp said, taking out a wallet and flinging it at the man holding him off the ground. "Take it."

"Thank you." Xander said, still holding the vamp with one hand, while pocketing the wallet with the other. Then he shoved his hand through the vamps chest, ripping out it's heart, and turning it to dust. "Pleasure doing business with you."

He took the wallet back out, now that he had both hands free, and checked it. It contained four hundred dollars, in fifties. "Not bad for two minutes work."

The next morning, after guzzling a couple of containers of cow's blood, he headed for Sunnydale high school, to join his fellow students in enriching their brains. Ugh, Xander couldn't even think that without laughing.

After waving hello to Giles, who was deep in conversation with the computer teacher, Mrs. Calendar, he headed for his first class, history.

"Well, it seems like Louis XVI was just sort of a weak king." Said one student an hour later. Xander was bored. His mind was so active now, the he could assign part of his mind to follow the class conversation and still be able to let his mind wander. He noticed that Willow and Buffy were passing a note back and forth, and his enhanced eye sight was able to make it out over Willows shoulder. They were talking about deadboy kissing another woman. Oh joy.

"I just don't see why everyone's always picking on Marie

Antoinette." Cordelia spoke up, "I can so relate to her. She worked really hard to look that good, and People just don't appreciate that kind of effort. And I know the peasants were all depressed-"

"I think you mean 'oppressed.'" Xander interrupted.

"Whatever. They were cranky."

"So they're, like, 'Let's lose some heads'. Uh That's fair. And, and Marie Antoinette cared about them. She was gonna let them have cake!"

Xander couldn't help but roll his eyes.

After the bell rang, he walked behind the girls as they left the classroom. "So, Angel's being bad, huh."

"What?" Buffy asked, shocked, "How did you know about that? Has he said something to you?"

"Oh yeah, because deadboy confides in me. No, I have super eyes, now, I saw your note in class.

"Oh." She seemed even more down.

"Hey, it's me. If Angel's doing somethin' wrong, I wanna know."

"Why, so you can throw a party?" Buffy asked.

"No, so I can protect my friend. Look, after..." He leaned close to whisper, "getting changed, it's made me look at life differently. I'm turning over a new leaf. Now though, that you mentioned a party, what you need is to cheer up. An I know just the thing. Crazed dance party at the Bronze!"

"I dunno," Buffy said, crossing her arms, depressed.

"Very calm dance party at the bronze?"

Buffy plopped down on the couch in the lounge area, next to Willow. Xander sat carefully. "Moping at the Bronze?"

"I'd suggest a box of Oreos dunked in apple juice, but maybe she's over that phase." Came the voice of a boy who climbed the stairs and stopped behind Buffy. The first thing that Xander noticed was that he smelled wrong. He smelled human, he wasn't a vampire or demon, but he still smelled off somehow.

Buffy jumped up from the couch and spun around. "Ford?"

"Hey, Summers." The boy named Ford said. He leaned forward and hugged Buffy before speaking again. "How ya been?"

"Oh my god, what are you doing here?" Buffy asked.

"Matriculating." He answered.

"Huh?" Buffy seemed confused by his one word answer.

"I'm finishing out my senior year at Sunnydale High. Dad got transferred."

"This is great." Buffy declared.

"I'm glad you think so." Ford said.

Xander took a moment to contemplate his feelings. On some level he knows he should be jealous, but he just wasn't. His crush on Buffy had dwindled with his transformation into a vampire. He understood it logically, when his kind of vampires fall in love it's forever, and he didn't love Buffy, but he was still surprised.

"I didn't think you'd remember me." Ford commented.

"Remember you? Duh! We only went to school together for seven years. You were my giant fifth grade crush."

"So," Xander said, "you two know each other?"

"Oh!" Buffy said, turning to her two friends, "I'm sorry. Um, this is Ford! Uh, Billy Fordham, this is Xander and Willow!"

"Um... Hi" Xander said.

"Hey," Ford returned. Xander was frustrated, because he couldn't just outright say, 'why do you smell funny?'

"Nice to meet you." Willow enthused.

"Uh, Ford and I went to Hemery together in L.A." Buffy explained, before turning to Ford "And now you're here. For real?"

"Dad got the transfer," Ford explained, "and boom, he just dragged me outta Hemery and put me down here."

"This is great! Well, I mean, it's hard, sudden move, all your friends, delicate time, very emotional, but let's talk about me!" Buffy said enthusiastically, and Xander couldn't help notice how Buffy put her hand on Ford's knee. "This is great!"

"So, you two were sweeties in fifth grade?" Willow asked, with a grin.

"Not even." Buffy explained. "Ford wouldn't give me the time of day."

"Well, I was a manly sixth-grader. I couldn't bother with someone that young."

"It was terrible." Buffy said, "I moped over you for months. Sitting in my room listening to that Divinyls song 'I Touch Myself'.

Suddenly she blushed heavily, while looking at her two friends, and tried to cover.

"Of course, I had no idea what it was about."

Xander couldn't help but grin at Buffy's embarrassment.

"Hey, are you busy tonight?" Buffy asked Ford, "We're going to the Bronze, it's the local club, and you have to come."

"I'd love to! But if you guys already had plans... Would I be imposing?"

"Naw, don't worry about it." Xander answered.

"Okay, then! I... I gotta find the admissions office," Ford got up from the couch, before rifling through his bag. "Uh, get my papers in order."

"Well, you know what," Buffy said, standing, "I'll take you there, and I'll see you guys in French." She took Ford's arm, and led him away. Even though Xander was no longer crushing on Buffy, he still was frustrated by the situation. He wasn't enough for her as a human, she loved a vampire. Now that he is a vampire, she's crushing on a human. He shook his head, and stood up himself, before offering Willow a hand up. She didn't even flinch at his cold skin, which made him happy, as it was the first real skin contact they had since he changed.

"Oh, that's what that song is about?!" Willow realized.

They walked into the empty French classroom, and sat in their seats, waiting for the rest of their classmates, or their teacher to arrive. After pulling out the materials for class, Xander got a bright idea.

"Keep an eye out, in case anyone comes in." And then he speed read the French textbook. He finished only moments before a group of students came in. "Whew. I think I speak French now."

He was only half right. He could read and write French up to everything provided in the first year text book, but his accent was atrocious. One can't learn to speak a language out of a book, without hearing it spoken, luckily his perfect recall helped a lot.

That night, Xander was leaning against the railing of the upstairs level of The Bronze, watching as Ford took his shot at the pool table. Xander opted not to play, as he felt playing pool with his enhanced vision, which could see perfectly in the dim light, would be cheating. Moments later, Buffy arrived.

"Ford, you made it!" She squealed.

"Wasn't hard to find." He replied.

"Buffy," Willow said, "Ford was just telling us about the ninth grade beauty contest, and the, uh, swimsuit competition."

"Oh, my God, Ford, stop that!" Buffy giggled, while hitting him lightly on the arm, "The more people you tell, the more people I have to kill."

"You can't touch me, Summers. I know all your darkest secrets."

"Care to make a small wager on that?" Xander asked.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Buffy said, "Ford, try not to talk."

Xander saw Buffy head to the bar, where Angel stepped out of the crowd, but he couldn't hear what they were saying over the beating music.

"That's Angel." Willow explained to Ford.

"Buffy's beau," Xander said sarcastically. Just because he was no longer crushing on Buffy didn't make him like Angel any better, for a different reason now. Now Xander could smell the dead animated body that made up Angel, and knew that below the flesh was a demon just waiting to be released. He knew the things Angelus had done, and didn't want to see a repeat. He didn't want his friend with a demon. "Her special friend."

"He's not in school, right? He looks older than her." Ford observed.

"You're not wrong." Xander muttered.

A minute later, Buffy returned to the table, without a drink, Angel following.

"Didn't want that soda after all?" Ford asked.

"Not thirsty."

"Hey Angel." Willow greeted.

"Hi." Ford said.

"This is Ford." Buffy turned to Angel, showing a smirk. "We went to school together in L.A."

"Nice to meet you." Angel said all soft and moody sounding. He held out his hand, which Ford took in a shake.

"Woah, cold hands."

"That's pretty common around here." Xander commented.

"So, you're here visiting Buffy?" Angel asked.

"No, I'm actually here to stay. Just moved down."

"Hey, Angel, do you wanna play?" Willow inquired.

"Y'know, it's getting really crowded in here tonight. Um... I'm a little hot." Buffy turned to ford, "You wanna take a walk?"

"Um, sure! That'd be nice."

After some awkward farewells, Buffy left with Ford, leaving Angel to stand around looking uncomfortable.

"Okay, once more with tension." Xander commented.

"He just moved here?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. And, boy, does he move fast."

"Well, Angel, we could still play." Willow said.

Xander heard Angel move away, and looked up to watch him leaving, a smirk on Xander's face. Willow moved the rack of billiard balls into position, then looked up, to notice Angel gone.

"See, you made him do that thing where he's gone."

Xander waved her off, picked up a cue, and prepared to break, enhanced vision be damned.

Later that night, Xander was on his vampire patrol route, passing by Willow's house, when he smelled a vampire. Moving quickly, he circled the house, and saw that the balcony door leading to Willow's bedroom was open, and that's where the smell was coming from. He ran super-speed, and jumped onto the roof, then dropped silently onto the balcony, and froze, when he saw Angel in Willow's bedroom.

"What are you doing here?" Xander asked.

Angel spun, not having heard Xander approach. "Me? What are you doing here?"

"I was patrolling for vampires, when I smelled one. Followed it here."

"Oh, well I was asking Willow for help. There's something wrong with that Ford guy, and I need Willow to find out what."

"Man, I hate to agree with you, but he doesn't smell right." He turned to Willow, "Get me a copy of what you find too."

"Alright, let me see what I can find." Willow typed at her computer for a moment. "Hey, that's weird."

"What?" Xander and Angel both asked at the same time.

"I just checked the school records, and he's not in them." Willow said. "I mean, usually they transfer your grades and stuff, but he's not even registered."

"He said he was in school with you guys, right?" Angel asked.

"Let me just see if I can..."

Suddenly a voice that Xander recognized as Willow's mom shouted up from down the stairs. "Willow? Are you still up?"

"Ack! Go! Both of you." She ordered, before calling out to her mom. "I'm just going to bed now, mom!"

Angel and Xander both moved out to the balcony. "Come by tomorrow at sunset. I'll keep looking.

"Don't tell Buffy what we're doing, alright?"

"You want us to lie to her?" Willow asked. "It's Buffy!"

"Just don't bring it up until we know what's what."

"Okay. I-it's probably nothing."

"That'd be nice." Angel commented.

"See you tomorrow, Willow." Xander said, before jumping over the railing and disappearing into the night, Angel following soon after.

Xander spent the rest of the night sweeping the cemeteries of Sunnydale, but had a surprisingly slow night, only finding one vampire.

The next night, he met up with Angel and Willow, who led them to an address she got out Ford's files.

"The only thing I could track down was this address. The Sunset Club. Still didn't find anything incriminating."

"He leaves no paper trail, no records, that's incriminating enough." Angel said.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to go with Dead Boy on this one." Xander agreed.

"Could you not call me that?" Angel asked.

They arrived at a steel door with a small sliding window in it. Angel knocked, and the window opened.

"We're friends of Ford's."

The doorman nodded and opened the door. The girl and two vampires entered the building to find it a basement location. They had to go through a second door to get into the main area. The lighting was gloomy, though not to Xander's eyes, and the walls were hung with black curtains. Everyone inside was wearing black as well.

Willow looked down at her brightly colored stripped shirt. "Boy, we blend right in." She whispered.

"At least I'm not wearing my Hawaiian shirts anymore." Xander noted. "And hey, Angel fits right in."

"Let's look around. You guys check out downstairs." Angel ordered.

Xander just nodded, holding back a sarcastic comment that he really wanted to make, but decided not to. He was trying to be more mature, to fit into the body of the immortal vampire.

They descended the stairs to find another room with more people in Gothic dress. One man who stood in a coffin greeted them, surprisingly enthusiastically.

"Hi." He said, waving at them. They grinned and gave faint waves back, before moving on.

"Are you probably noticing a theme here?" Xander asked.

"As in 'vampires yay'!" Willow replied.

"That's the one."

As they moved around, Xander noticed a blonde woman in a red gown approach them.

"You guys are newbies. I can tell." She said.

"Oh no, we come here all the time." Willow responded as she turned to face her.

"Don't be ashamed! It's cool that you're open to it. We welcome anyone who's interested in the Lonely Ones."

As she spoke, Angel came down the stairs and approached them.

"The lonely ones?" Willow asked.

"Vampires." Angel answered.

"Oh! We usually call them the nasty, pointy, bitey ones." Xander commented.

"So many people have that misconception. But they who walk with the night are not interested in harming anyone. They are creatures above us. Exalted!"

"You're a fool." Angel said. Xander shot him a look, but Angel just ignored him.

"You don't have to be so confrontational about it. Other viewpoints than yours may be valid, you know." The woman said, before storming away.

"Nice meeting you." Willow called. The girl and vampire turn to face Angel.

"You really are a people person." Xander commented.

"Now nobody's gonna talk to us." Willow added.

"I've seen enough. I've seen this type before. I mean, they're children making up bedtime stories of friendly vampires to comfort themselves in the dark."

"Is that so bad?" Willow asked. "I mean, the dark can get pretty dark. Sometimes you need a story."

"These people don't know anything about vampires. What they are, how they live, how they dress..."

Xander had to hold back a laugh when at that moment a man came down the stairs dressed the same as Angel. He looked Angel up and down before moving on.

"You know, I love a good diatribe." Xander spoke up. "But I'm still curious why Ford, the bestest friend of the Slayer, is hanging with a bunch of vampire wannabes."

"Something's up with him," Angel said, "you're right about that."

They headed out of the exit. "Are you okay?" Xander heard the woman from earlier ask someone else, as the door shut, cutting off all sound.

After walking Willow home, Xander ran the forty-five minute drive to Breakers woods, and hunted for the first time. Unfortunately he didn't find any meat eaters and had to settle for a few deer.

The next day at school, Xander was sat with Willow when Buffy arrived.

"Buffy!" Willow cried.

Buffy sighed before turning to face her friends.

"Did, uh, Angel..." Willow asked.

"He told me everything." Buffy replied.

"I'm sorry we kept stuff from you."

"It's okay." Buffy said, smiling weakly.

"When Angel came to my room he was just really concerned for you, and we didn't wanna say anything in case we were wrong."

"Did you find out what Ford is up to?" Xander asked.

"I will."

Later that night, Xander stood on top of the building across the street from the sunset club, and watched as Buffy approached the door, which stood open.

"It's gonna be fine." Came Ford's voice.

"No," Buffy interrupted standing at the top of the stairs, "It's really not."

"It's kinda drafty in here." Ford said in a non-sequitor, probably the code phrase to get the door shut.

"I'm sorry, Ford." Buffy said, as she moved down the stairs, "I just couldn't wait till tonight! I'm rash and impulsive. It's a flaw."

"We all have flaws." Ford replied.

"I'm still a little fuzzy on exactly what yours is. I think it has to do with being a lying scumbag."

"Everybody lies."

"What do you want, Ford? What's this all about?"

"I really don't think you'd understand." Ford said.

"I don't need to understand. I just need to know." Buffy replied.

"I'm gonna be one of them."

"You wanna be a vampire?" Buffy asked.

"I'm going to." Ford corrected.

"You know, vampires are a little picky about who they change ov..." Buffy froze mid-word, realization hitting her, "You were gonna offer them a trade!"

"I don't think I wanna talk anymore." Ford said.

Xander heard a thump, probably Buffy doing something physical to him. "Yeah, well, I still feel awfully chatty! You were gonna give them me! Tonight! You had to know I'd figure it out."

"Actually, I was counting on it." Ford said with a chuckle.

"What's supposed to happen tonight?"

"This is so cool!" Ford commented with a laugh in his voice, "It's just like it played in my head. You know that part where you ask me what's supposed to happen? It's already happening."

Someone shut the inner door with a clang, from the distance it like the the nerd in the green cape, shutting off all sound.

"I guess that's my cue." Xander leapt off the roof, landing in the alley near the door to the sunset club, and heard someone, probably Buffy bang on it. He stepped up to the inner door, and pulled it open to see he was right, Buffy stood just before the door.

"Really think I'd let you come alone?" Xander asked. "Being the slayer isn't a solo gig anymore."

"No!" Ford screamed, and ran at Buffy with a crowbar in hand. Xander used his vamp speed to zip forward, grabbing Ford by the throat, and pinning him to the wall.

"You're..." Ford said, his voice soft from being pinned by the neck, "You're one of them."

"No," Xander said, "I'm something else."

He let go of Ford's throat, turned, and led Buffy out of the club. "we can't really leave them to die, can we?" Xander asked.

"No, I guess not."

"Here." Xander said, scooping Buffy up, and flinging her over his back. "Hold on."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, and legs around his waist. Xander scaled the building across the street as if he were climbing a ladder. Once on the roof, Buffy let go.

"We can watch them from here."

Just after sunset, a car pulled up, disgorging Spike, Drusilla, and a number of their henchmen, who move hurriedly into the sunset club.

"That's our queue." Xander scooped Buffy into his arms, bridal style, and leaps from the roof, landing in the alley in front of the club, before setting her down. They both charged forward, throwing open the door of the club, and entering. The lackey vamps were already feeding, and Spike was shouting at Ford.

"-No slayer, no immortality." Xander heard as the door opened. He turned upon noticing the movement, and stopped. "Ah, there you are, slayer. And you brought the poof along?" He said, incredulously.

Xander charged forward full speed slamming into Spike, and sending him slamming into the far wall. "Who's the poof now, spikey-boy."

"What the hell?" He stood up, and lunged at Xander, fist extended to punch, who caught his fist, and punched Spike in the chest sending him back into the wall again.

"Spike!" Drusilla called. Spike looked up, and saw that Buffy had Drusilla in a headlock, and had a stake to her chest.

"Everybody stop!" Spike yelled. All his minions stopped feeding.

"Good idea." Buffy said. "Now you let everyone out, or your girlfriend fits in an ashtray."

"Spike?" Drusilla asked, frightened.

"It's gonna be alright, baby." Spike said to her, before turning to his minions, who were still holding their struggling victims. "Let them go!"

The vampires released the people, who scurried away like rats escaping a sinking ship, Ford included, now seeing the reality of vampires.

Once they are gone, Spike stood from his prone position where he was sent by Xander, and glared at Buffy. Xander joined her at the top of the stairs, where she shoved Drusilla into the room, and together, they turned and ran out, shutting the door behind them. Moments later, there came a banging on the door, was the vampires tried to escape, but couldn't. As they walked away, Angel and Willow arrived in the alley.

"You guys are just in time." Buffy said, slightly sarcastically.

"Are there vampires?" Willow asked.

"They're contained." Buffy answered, "They'll get out eventually, though. We should probably go."

As they walked, Ford approached them. "Buffy, I'm-"

Buffy held her hand up in front of his face. "Don't even."


	4. 04 - What's My Line Part 1

AN: Thank you to Dan and Wonderbee31 for reviewing my story. To suki, I don't understand your review, but if you want me to replym you need to log in before reviewing.

Chapter 04 - What's My Line, Part 1

It had been just over a week since Ford tried to trade Buffy to Spike, and they hadn't seen him since. Xander figured that the kid did a runner, back to L.A. None of the vampire wannabes returned to the sunset club, after Spike broke out of there, so Xander decided it was time to move out of Giles' house, and The sunset club was the perfect place for him to live. He enjoyed the irony of a vampire living there. The first thing he had to do was repair the door. Bending it back into place was easy for him, but the lock was broken, so he decided to try his hand at locksmithing, which turned out to be easier then he thought using what he'd learned from his uncle Rory. As a vampire, he didn't sleep, but he still wanted a bed, and he had plenty of money from mugging vampires, to get one.

His training was going well. Giles had taken him under his proverbial wing, and taught him how to fight. Xander was thankful for his enhanced memory, as he learned to throw punch and kick combinations against the training dummy in the library. He controlled his strength, throwing the shots human speed and strength. He was really only interested in learning the proper form, as he wasn't able to form muscle memory, so he needed to use his mind to make sure when he got in a fight, that his shots were correct.

That's why that Thursday afternoon, he was in the library. School had let out, and he headed there to work on his form, and to pass time till sundown, when he'd go hunting for vampires. Buffy was there, playing music while doing calisthenics, when Xander became grateful to his enhanced hearing as well, as he heard the shouting over Buffy's music.

"Help! Help! Somebody, please!"

"Buffy, Shut the music off! Quickly!" Xander called.

Buffy must have heard the tone in his voice, cause she complied instantly. They listened in the silence for a moment.

"What are we listening f-"

She paused mid-word, when the shouting repeated.

"Help! Help! Please!" Xander was off like a shot, Buffy right behind him, as he unlocked and opened the door. Outside, they found a man leaning on the door, true fear on his face, and feet away from a walking body that was clearly dead. Xander and Buffy stepped in front of the screaming man, who crawled backward, to put distance between himself and the walking corpse.

"Diedre?" Came the voice of Giles, behind them. "Philip? What's going on?"

"It's not Diedre anymore, it's Eyghon." Said Philip.

The rotted creature took a swing at Buffy, who blocked, before kicking it back. Xander grabbed the creatures arms, pulling them behind it's back and holding it.

"Now talk, Giles." Xander said, holding the rotted body at bay.

"What's Eyghon?" Buffy asked.

"A demon. Something from my past that I'm not proud of."

"So how do we kill it?"

"It's a demon. I imagine decapitation would work best."

"Buffy grab a sword." Xander said. Hearing this, the demon in the rotting human body began to struggle harder. At one point, the left arm ripped clean out of the shoulder socket, which Xander immediately dropped to the floor, and hooked his arm around the things neck.

Buffy returned quickly with a sword, she wound back, like she was holding a baseball bat.

"Ready?" Xander asked.

"When you are." Buffy replied.

Xander took a step back, and shoved the demon toward

Buffy, who swung the sword forward, and with a sickening wet sucking sound, took off the demon's head, which immediately fell to the floor, the body right behind it.

Once hitting the floor, the demon exited the body, taking it's fully demonic form for a moment, before screaming and burning to ash.

"Oh thank god." Philip said. "You saved our lives."

"Good," Buffy said," That means we have time, so start talking."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?" Giles asked.

"Sorry, g-man, but I'm picturing a dog with a bone." Xander commented.

Giles sighed heavily, before gesturing to the table in the library. After sitting, Giles began to speak.

I was twenty-one, studying history at Oxford. And, of course, the occult by night. I hated it. The tedious grind of study, the... overwhelming pressure of my destiny. I dropped out, I went to London... I fell in with the worst crowd that would have me. We practiced magicks. Small stuff for pleasure or gain. And then we discovered something... bigger.

"Eyghon." Xander concluded before Buffy could, his mind working much faster then hers.

"Yes. One of us would, um... go into a deep sleep, and the others would, uh, summon him. It was an extraordinary high! God, we were fools."

"What happened?" Buffy asked.

"I'm guessing something went terribly wrong?"

"One of us, Randall, he lost control. Eyghon took him whole. We tried to exorcise the demon from Randall, but it killed him. No. We killed him. We thought we were free of the demon after that. Until today."

"Look, g-man, we all make mistakes when we're young. You gotta learn to move on. Especially now, that it's over. The demon is dead, and it can't hurt you any more."

Giles and Philip retreated to his office to reminisce, and Buffy and Xander went back to what they were doing before the entertainment.

That night, Xander was in the bronze checking it for vampires, when a voice spoke to him over the music.

"Hey, you." He recognized that voice. It was her. The woman he saved, the one who kissed him.

"Hi." He replied. "I didn't think I'd be seeing you here again."

"Where else would I go to find my hero?"

"I'm no hero, lady."

"You saved me. That makes you a hero." She said, as she approached him, putting one hand on his chest. She was a couple of inches shorter then him, and maybe two years older.

"What if I'm not the hero? What if I'm the bad guy?" Xander asked, unfortunately quoting the twilight book, but the question was still relevant. He was a vampire, and on some level, he still wasn't okay with that.

"You're not." The girl said.

"How do you know?"

"You saved me," She said, "not really something a bad guy would do."

Xander sighed, as she obviously was missing the point.

"I just want to get to know you." She continued.

"It's better if we're not friends," Xander said, "trust me."

"It's my decision who I spend my time with."

"But I'm warning you now that I'm not a good friend for you. If you're smart, you'll avoid me."

"Then maybe I'm not very smart." She replied.

"You know," Xander realized, "I don't even know what your name is."

"It's Bella."

Xander froze unnaturally still for a moment at the sheer irony. "Really? It wouldn't be Bella Swan by chance would it?"

"No. Bella Morgan. Well Isabella Morgan, but I shortened it."

"Oh thank god." He whispered.

After walking Bella home, he spent the night hunting vampires then got ready for school in the morning. It was career week after all, and he needed to find out what career he would never be able to do, because he was never getting older.

"'Are you a people person, or do you prefer keeping your own company?'" Xander read off the career week questionnaire. He was sat at a table with Buffy, and a moment later Willow joined them. "Well, what if I'm a people person who keeps his own company by default?"

"So, mark 'none of the above'." Buffy replied.

"Well, there are no boxes for 'none of the above'. That would introduce too many variables into their mushroom head, number-crunching little world."

"I'm sensing bitterness." Willow pointed out.

"No, it's just these people can't tell from one multiple-choice test what we're gonna be doing for the rest of our lives. It's ridiculous!"

"I'm kinda curious to find out what sort of career I could have." Willow said with a smile on her face.

"What, and suck all the spontaneity out of being young and stupid? I'd rather live in the dark." Xander laughed.

"You're not gonna be young forever." Willow said without thinking, before realizing what she said. She suddenly looked very guilty, and grimaced at Xander. "Sorry."

"It's okay, Will's. Believe it or not, I've kinda grown used to it. Well, maybe not the immortality part, but the rest of it. Me and Angel, together forever. Oh joy."

They sat in awkward silence that lasted until it was broken by the voice of Cordelia Chase.

"'I aspire to help my fellow man.' Check. As long as he's not smelly, dirty or something gross."

"Cordelia Chase," Xander said, "always ready to give a helping hand to the rich and the pretty."

It appeared Cordelia heard him, because she opened her mouth to say something sarcastic, looked him over, then shut her mouth and walked away.

"Is murder always a crime? I could just eat her." Xander said, not realizing how wrong that sounded.

"Do I like shrubs?" Buffy asked herself aloud.

"That's between you and your god." Xander snarked.

Buffy looked at Willow. "What'd you put?"

"I came down on the side of shrubs."

"Go with shrubs! Okay!" She said, before suddenly becoming frustrated. "Uhhh! I shouldn't even be bothering with this. It's all mootville for me. No matter what my aptitude test says, we already know my deal.

"Yup, high risk, sub-minimum wage..." Xander said.

"Pointy wooden things." She added.

"You're not the only one with no choose-able future." Xander pointed out.

"Then why are you even taking the test?" Willow asked.

"It's Principal Snyder's hoop of the week." Buffy answered. "He's not happy unless I'm jumping. Believe me, I would not be here otherwise."

"You're not even a teensy weensy bit curious about what kinda career you could've had?" Willow wondered, "I mean, if you weren't already the Slayer and all."

"Do the words 'sealed in fate' ring any bells for you, Will? Why go there?"

Willow looked saddened by Buffy's comment, then Buffy seemed to cheer up, and grinned at Xander. "At least I'm not doing it alone anymore."

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere... literally. Anyway, with that kind of negative attitude you could've had a bright future as an employee at the DMV."

"I'm sorry, it's just... unless Hell freezes over and every vamp in Sunnydale puts in for early retirement, I'd say my future is pretty much a non-issue."

That night, Buffy and Xander split up to take the cemeteries in Sunnydale faster. Xander didn't bother pointing out that it wasn't like he slept, so he was in no rush, but he knew she needed to.

After sweeping six of the twelve cemeteries in Sunndale, he met up with Buffy. "Got four fledglings, How'd you do, Buff?"

"Two fledglings, and two vamps robing a mausoleum, but one got away."

"Oh that sucks, but that means I win." He stuck his tongue out at her. After she left, he swept the Sunnydale cemetery one more time, before heading to the Bronze. It was pretty quiet, being a school night and all, but he was unsurprised, when he heard the voice behind him.

"Hey there, Xander." He turned around, and it was her. Bella Morgan.

"Oh, um... Hi."

"I've missed you, Xander." As she spoke, she moved closer to him until they were pressed up against each other. She leaned up and kissed him, not the slightest bit repelled by his cold skin. He began to kiss her back, before freezing, his lips on hers. He pulled away, but she just leaned forward, continuing to nibble on his lip. Xander grabbed her upper arms, gently pushing her away.

"We can't do this. It isn't safe."

Bella turned away, breathing deeply for a moment, from the kiss, before turning back to find him gone.

Using his vampire speed, Xander ran from the Bronze, and more importantly, ran from Bella. His hunger was climbing with her being that close, and more importantly, he was afraid of hurting her. He ran until he reached King's Canyon National Park. Once there, he hunted happy to have his thirst quenched on meat eaters. He had his first bear.

Thanks to his supernatural speed, he made it back to Sunnydale in time to shower, change, and make it to school.

He headed for the career week list, and checked his name. Sadly he was there at the same time as Cordelia.

"Oh, here I am. 'Personal shopper or motivational speaker.' Neato!"

"Motivational speaker?" Xander asked. "On what? Ten ways to a more annoying you?"

Glaring at him, she flipped through the H-K section, to find his. "Oh, what about you? You're..." She stopped, giggled, then left without a further word.

"What?" He frantically looked himself up. "What?!"

After taking the time to check his friends names, Xander ran at human speed across the quad, looking for them. He found them together, talking about ice-skating of all things.

"Wouldn't you two say you know me about as well as anyone else?" He asked them. "Maybe even better than I know myself?"

"What's this about?" Willow questioned.

"When you look at me, do you think 'prison guard'?"

They both giggled before Buffy answered. "Um, crossing guard, maybe, but prison guard?"

"They just put up the assignments for the career fair, and according to my test results I can look forward to being gainfully employed in the growing field of corrections."

"Well, at least you'll be on the right side of the bars." Buffy laughed.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha!" Xander said, "Laugh now, missy, they assigned you to the booth for law enforcement professionals."

"As in police?" Buffy asked.

"As in polyester, doughnuts and brutality."

Buffy whined.

"But... Doughnuts?" Willow pointed out.

Buffy just whined louder.

"Well, I'll just jump off that bridge when I come to it." Buffy commented. They passed Giles, who was carrying a large stack of old books, which reminded her of a pressing engagement. "First I have to deal with Giles. He's on this Tony Robbins hyper-efficiency kick. Expects me to check in every day after homeroom."

Xander heard her muttering 'Police' as she walked away.

He was going to go with her, but Willow pulled him back. "You didn't check to see which seminar I was assigned to, did you?"

"I did, and you weren't."

"I wasn't what?" She asked.

"On the list." He answered.

"But I handed in my test! I used a number two pencil!"

"Then I guess you musta passed." Xander commented.

"It's not the kinda test you pass or fail." Willow pointed out.

"Your name wasn't up there, Will."

Xander left, heading for the library, where he walked in mid-conversation.

"They were stealing?" Giles asked.

"Yeah! They had tools, flashlights, whole nine yards. What does that mean anyway? 'Whole nine yards'?" Buffy wondered, as Giles began to pace. "Nine yards of what? Now it's gonna bug me all day. Giles, you're in pace mode. What gives?

"Um, this vampire who escaped, did you see what he took?"

"No, but I could take a guess and say it was something old." Buffy said.

"You made no effort to find out what was taken?"

"Have a cow, Giles! I just figured it was your everyday vamp hijinks."

"Well, what if it wasn't?" Giles asked, "This could be very serious! I mean, i-i-if you'd made an effort to, uh, to be more thorough in your observations..."

"Y'know, if you don't like the way I'm doing my job, why don't you find somebody else? Oh, that's right, there can only be one. As long as I'm alive, there is no one else. Well, there you go! I don't have to be the Slayer. I could be dead."

"That wasn't terribly funny. You notice I don't laugh."

"There's me." Xander pointed out.

"Wouldn't be much of a change." Buffy continued ranting, ignoring Xander's comment. "Either way I'm bored, constricted, I never get to shop, and my hair and fingernails still continue to grow. So really, when you think about it, what's the diff?"

"Do we have to be introspective now?" Giles asked. "Our only concern is to discover what was stolen from that mausoleum last night."

"Well then, let's go to the cemetery and look around."

"Do you want me to come with?" Xander asked.

"I shouldn't think so," Giles answered, "It's daytime, we'll be alright."

Buffy stood from her spot at the table. "Cover for me with Principal Snyder, would you Xander?"

He grinned before replying, "No problem."

He left the library, and headed to find Willow, who he unfortunately, found by the career fair booths.

"Willow!" He said, as he walked along side her, "What are you doing here? Fly! Be free, little bird, you defy category!"

"I'm looking for Buffy." Willow explained.

"Oh, she went with Giles, a field trip to the local cemetery."

"If she doesn't get back soon, Snyder's really-" She spotted him on the stairs heading their way, and quickly jumped tracks "-Done a great job with the fair this year, hasn't he, Xander?"

He quickly picked up what she was trying to do, "Principal Snyder! Great career fair, sir! Really! In fact, I'm so inspired by your leadership, I'm thinking principal school. I wanna walk in your shoes. Not your actual shoes, of course, because you're a tiny person. Not tiny in the small sense, of course. Okay, I'm done now."

"Snyder glared at them, "Where is she?"

Willow looked confused, "Who?"

Snyder snarled in reply, "You know who."

"You mean Buffy?" Willow looked around before continuing, "I just saw her-"

"And don't feed me that 'I just saw her a minute ago, she's around here somewhere' story."

"But I did... just see her a minute ago, and she is... around here somewhere!"

"For what it's worth-" Xander started.

"It's worth nothing, Harris. Whatever comes out of your mouth is a meaningless waste of breath. An airborne toxic event."

Xander growled softly, angered by the little excuse for a man. Willow elbowed him in the side, probably hurting her elbow in the process. Xander took a deep breath to calm himself before he spoke.

There was a growl to his voice as he replied. "Well, I'm glad you feel comfortable enough to be so honest with me. And I can only hope that one day I'm in the position to be that honest with you."

Snyder hightailed it away from them, looking afraid as he did so, even though he probably didn't know why he was scared of Xander.

"I need to hunt." Xander said, before turning and walking away.

A few hours later, Xander strolled into the library, to find Willow and Buffy talking.

"What's the what, ladies?"

Willow spoke up first, "Giles is sure that the vampire who stole his book last week is connected to the one Buffy slayed last night. Or is it slew?"

Giles stepped out of the stacks reading a National Geographic magazine, and descended the stairs, "Both are correct, and, yes, I'm sure. Du Lac was both a, a... a theologian and a mathematician. This article describes an invention of his, which he called 'The Du Lac Cross'.

Xander smirked, knowing he'd annoy Giles, "So, why go to all the trouble of inventing something, and then giving it a weak name like that? I mean, I'da gone with 'The Cross-o-matic', or, uh, 'The Amazing Mr. Cross'."

The girls and Giles just stared at him for a moment, before Giles spoke again, "The cross was more than a mere symbol, it was used to understand certain mystical texts, to, uh, decipher hidden meanings and so forth."

"So you're saying these vampires went to all this hassle for your basic decoder ring?" Buffy asked.

Xander's vampire mind was already working three steps ahead. "They need it to translate something in the book, something bad."

"Yes I think so." Giles said.

Willow read from the magazine, "According to this, Du Lac destroyed every cross except the one buried with him."

"Why destroy your own work?" Buffy asked.

Giles paced thinking hard, "Perhaps he feared what might happen if it fell into the wrong hands."

Xander sighed, "A fear we'll soon get to experience for ourselves up close and personal."

"U-unless we can preempt their plans." Giles said.

"How?" Willow asked.

Giles took off his glasses to clean them, "Uh, by learning what's in the book before they do. Which means we can expect to be here late tonight."

"Goodie, research party." Willow cried.

Xander grinned, "Will, you need a life in the worst way."

Buffy stood from her chair, "Speaking of, I really have to bail, but I promise I'll be back bright and early tomorrow and ready to slay."

"This is a matter of some urgency, Buffy." Giles pointed out.

Buffy sighed, "I realize that. Well, you have to admit, I kinda lack in the book area. I mean, you guys are the brains, I'd only be here for moral support anyway."

"That's untrue, Buffy, you totally contribute." Xander grouched. "You go for snacks! ...Not that I can eat them anymore."

"She should go." Willow spoke up at Buffy's prompting, "Y-y'know, gather her strength."

Xander sighed, remembering overhearing the comment about Angel and ice skating, and figuring out what she had planned.

"Perhaps you're right." Giles said, oblivious to the real reason Buffy wanted off, "There may be fierce battles ahead."

They spent the next few hours researching, Xander tearing through most of the books in the library. "Got it!" He stood up, and handed the book he was reading to Giles.

"It's a ritual, the purpose of which is to restore a weak and sick vampire back to full health."

"You mean a vampire like Drusilla?"

All of a sudden, the doors open, and Buffy, heavily limping, entered the room.

"Buffy, my god, what happened?" Willow asked.

"Got attacked, he had this." She held up a ring.

Giles took the ring, and examined it under a magnifying glass.

"This guy was hard-core, Giles." Buffy explained, "And Angel was power-freaked by that ring."

Giles looked up from the ring, "I'm afraid he was not overreacting. This ring is worn only by members of the Order of Taraka. It's a society of deadly assassins dating back to King Solomon."

"I read about them," Xander said, "They come in groups of three and their only desire is to collect their bounty."

Buffy was becoming worried, "These assassins, why are they after me?"

"'Cause you're the scourge of the underworld?" Willow guessed.

Buffy shrugged, "I haven't been that scourgey lately."

Giles rubbed his eyes, "I don't know, I don't know. I think the best thing we can do is to find a secure location. Somewhere out of the way you can go until we decide on the best course of action."

"She can stay at my place." Xander suggested.

"Okay, now you and Angel have both said to head for the hills. Are you saying I can't handle this, that I'm not strong enough to fight these people?"

Giles sighed, "They're a breed apart, Buffy. U-unlike vampires they have no earthly desires, but to collect their bounty. They find a target, and, uh... they eliminate it. You can kill as many of them as you like, it won't make any difference. Where there's one, there will be another, and another. They won't stop coming until the job is done. Each one works alone, his own way. Some are human, some... a-are not. Y-you won't know who they are until they strike."

Buffy, more scared then ever left the library, and they didn't see her for the rest of the night. Xander went on patrol after sundown, and midway through the night, he noticed Angel slinking around downtown, and decided to follow him.

Angel went into a scuzzy looking bar. Moments later, he heard Angel talking to someone named Willy.

"I need some information."

"Yeah? Man, that's too bad, 'cause... I'm stayin' away from that whole scene. I'm livin' right, Angel."

"Sure you are, Willy. And I'm taking up sunbathing."

Willy sniffed heavily, "C'mon, man. Don't be that way! I-I treat you vamps good! I-I-I-I don't hassle you, you don't hassle me... We all enjoy the patronage of this establishment. Everybody's happy, right?"

"Who sent them?" Angel asked.

"Who sent who?" Willy retorted.

"The Order of Taraka."

Xander could hear the man's heart speed up at the mention of the name. "I-I... I tell ya, I haven't been in the loop."

"Let's try again." Angel drawled, "The Order of Taraka, they're after the Slayer."

"C'mon man"

"Was it Spike?"

"Look, Angel, I-I got some good pigs' blood in, good stuff, my fence said..."

Xander heard a dull thump that sounded like someone's face hitting wood.

"Damn it! Ah..."

"You know, I'm a little rusty when it comes to killing humans. It could take a while."

"Oh, Spike will draw and quarter me, man!"

"I'll take care of Spike." Angel said.

"You know he ordered those guys! Spike's sick of your girl getting in his way!"

"Where can I find him?"

"I tell you that, I'm gonna need relocating expenses! It'll cost you!"

"It'll cost who?"

"Okay! Okay! He and that freaky chick of his are..."

Xander heard the sound of a punch or kick hitting flesh, and the sound of fighting. He was about to drop off the roof and interfere, when he saw the man he presumed to be Willy exit the bar at a run. Xander dropped off the roof, ran at vamp speed to get to Willy, grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled the man off his feet.

"Who are you?" Willy asked.

"Friend of the Slayers. Now you're going to answer my questions and we're not dicking around, so i'll start small. Xander grabbed one of his pinky fingers, and broke it.

Willy screamed out in pain, and a moment later, the door to the bar opened, and out stepped a dark haired girl holding a stake. Xander ignored her for the moment, and focused on Willy.

"Where is Spike?"

Xander fet a pressure on his back, and turned to see the girl holding the remains of that stake. She'd obviously tried to kill Xander, but the wood proved useless against his stone skin. He let go of Willy, and turned to the girl who immediately punched him. His head rocked back a couple of inches, and all she did was hurt her hand.

"You tried to kill me!" Xander declared.

"You are a vampire." She stated in a Jamaican accent.

"Well uh... it's complicated... But I'm a good guy. You just tried to stake the good guy."

"Then why are you attacking a human?"

"Just trying to get information." Willy suddenly bolted, trying to get away. "If you'll excuse me for a moment."

He charged after Willy, kicking his feet out from under him, and stomped on his left leg, breaking it instantly. The man screamed out in agony.

"Where is Spike?" This time Willy happily told him.

After that, Xander turned to the girl. "Who are you, anyway? You smell human, but you definitely don't punch like one."

"I am Kendra, da vampire slayer."

"Um... Okay, there's two of you now. Musta been because I saved Buffy, but she technically died."

Kendra obviously didn't understand what he was talking about.

"Come on, I'll introduce you to the local watcher. Oh, but first, gotta save Angel."

"Da vampire?"

"Well yeah, but we don't hold it against him... too much. Believe it or not, he's one of the good guys, too."

They went inside the bar, and Kendra led Xander to the back room, where they found Angel pacing around, locked inside a cage.

"Hey, buddy."

"Xander, thank god, get me outta here."

Xander grabbed the padlock, and twisted it off with his bare hands, making Kendra gape. He opened the cage, allowing Angel to step out.

"Angel, meet Kendra, the vampire slayer. The second slayer."

"She threatened Buffy." Angel growled.

"I thought she was a vampire." Kenda said, looking a bit guilty.

"She's new to the gig, we won't hold it against her. Now come on, I found out where Spike's holed up. Let's go get the other slayer, and kick some heads."


	5. 05 - What's My Line Part 2

I'd like to thank Wonderbee31, lordamnesia, and Netchka3 For their reviews. It inspires me to keep writing, and write sooner.

Chapter 05 - What's My Line Part 2

The two vampires, and the second slayer headed for the library at the high school, where they found the watcher and Willow, but Buffy was missing.

"G-man," Xander introduced, "Kendra the second vampire slayer. Kendra, the g-man."

"Um... my name is Giles. Another slayer, you say?"

"Yup, but where's Buffy? We found out where Spike is, we want to hit him where it hurts."

"I don't know where she is. She hasn't come back. Can you go check at her house Xander, and bring her here?"

"Of course, Giles. I'll be back." Xander turned and left the library, heading at full speed across town to the slayers house. After knocking on the door, and getting no answer, he scaled the side of the house, and let himself in through Buffy's window. A quick search told him the house was empty. Just as he was ready to leave, there was a knock on the door. He opened it to find a man standing there holding a large briefcase.

"Good day. I'm Norman Pfister with Blush Beautiful Skin Care and Cosmetics. I was wondering if the lady of the house would care for some free samples?"

Xander immediately knew something was wrong. The man stank of dirt and rot, not a pleasant nor human smell.

Xander fake grinned, "Um.. sure, come on in."

"Is the lady of the house in?" He asked.

"Sure she'll be along in a minute." Xander replied, "But first, I gotta ask, what are you? I mean you're obviously from the Order of Taraka."

The man stared at him for a moment, then collapsed into a pile of insects and worms, which immediately started moving toward him.

"Oh, gross." Xander said, and started stomping, ruining his chucks. In a matter of minutes, all that remained was a puddle of goo and dead bugs.

"That was one of the nastier things I've done in my life... and that includes drinking blood. I hope you're happy."

After a quick detour home to change his shoes, Xander returned to the school. The sun was up, and Angel had retreated to the sewers in the back of the stacks, and returned home. Buffy was being introduced to the new slayer, Kendra, when Xander arrived.

"Hey Buff, I see you met the new slayer in town." He couldn't help but grin, "I knew this 'I'm the only one, I'm the only one' thing was just an attention-getter. Anyway, just had a run-in with an assassin."

Giles cleaned his glassed before speaking, "Xander, um, this, this, uh, assassin you encountered, what, uh, what did he look like?"

"He was a mass of bugs. Just transformed into a mountain of bugs. I had to squash him. Ruined my chucks."

Buffy grinned at him, "You and bug people, Xander. What's up with that?"

Xander sighed, "No, but this dude was completely different than praying mantis lady. He was a man of bugs, not a man who was a bug."

Giles spoke up, "The, uh, the-the-the important thing is everybody's alright. Still, it's quite apparent that we're under serious attack."

"These Taraka are definitely serious." Buffy said, "Fortunately for me, so is Kendra."

"And, uh, I fear the worst is still to come. I've, I-I've discovered the remaining keys to Drusilla's cure. The, uh, the ritual requires that, the presence of her sire, and it must take place in a church on the night of the new moon."

Buffy's eyes suddenly got rather shifty.

Kendra spoke up, "The new moon. But that is tonight."

"Exactly." Giles said, "And I-I'm sure the assassins were here to kill Buffy before she could put a stop to things."

"They need Drusilla's sire." Buffy questioned, "You mean the vamp that made her?"

"Yes." Giles answered.

"Buffy, what is it?" Willow asked, seeing the look on her face.

"Angel. He's Drusilla's sire."

"At least we know that Angel is safe." Xander pointed out.

"Will this ritual kill him?" Buffy asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid it will." Giles answered.

Buffy looked less then pleased, "We need to find this church. We need to find where this ritual is gonna take place!"

"Why?" Xander asked, "We know where Spike is holed up. I saw we go there while the sun is still up, and burn the factory to the ground."

"What about Angel?" Buffy asked, "He'd want in on this. We can hit them tonight when Angel can get there."

Xander sighed heavily, rubbing his temples, even though he can't get migraines, "This is a monumentally bad idea, but whatever, you're the slayer."

He decided to take a long hunting trip. He didn't need the blood, but needed to be away from Buffy and her willingness to risk their lives for Angel.

He returned after school was out for the day, and found them gathered in the library.

"What's the what, people?"

"Woman with a gun shooting up the place." Willow said.

Xander stared at her for a second, confused. "Huh?"

Buffy explained, "A member of the Order of Taraka was dressed as a cop, for the career fair. Took a shot at me."

"Did you kill her?"

Buffy frowned, "She got away."

As they continued talking, Xander was given a stack of wood blanks and a knife, which thanks to his strength, he had a stack of wooden stakes in no time. They continued doing simple jobs, until the sun set, but Angel didn't turn up.

Two hours after sunset, Xander stood from his chair. Does anyone else have a bad feeling about this?"

"You think something happened to Angel?" Willow asked.

"And that right now, he's in a church being used to cure Drusilla? Yeah, I do. We need to find that church. I bet Willy knows where it is. And I have a plan."

With the two slayers, it was one too many for Xander to carry, so he made a phone call from Giles' office. Ten minutes later, they were loading into Cordelia's car.

"I can't even believe you. You dragged me out of bed for a ride? What am I, mass transportation?"

Xander grinned at her, "That's what a lot of the guys say, but it's just locker room talk. I wouldn't pay it any mind."

Cordelia whined, "Oh, great, so now I'm your taxi and your punching bag."

"I like to think of you more as my witless foil, but have it your way." Xander snarked.

"C'mon, Cordelia. You wanna be a member of the Scooby Gang you gotta be willing to be inconvenienced every now and then."

Cordy rolled her eyes, "Oh, right, 'cause I lie awake at night hoping you tweakos will be my best friends. And that my first husband will be a balding, demented homeless man."

Buffy just sighed at their back and forth, wondering when they'd hook up already. With Cordelia's driving, they arrived at Willy's bar in no time, and the two slayers entered, while Xander and Cordy waited in the car, which was pulled around the corner. He could hear what was going on inside as they acted out his plan.

Willy cried out, and a glass rattling sound told Xander that he'd been pushed up against the bar back, "Ah! Honest! I don't know where Angel is!"

"What about this ritual? What have you heard?" Buffy asked.

"N-nothing! I-it's all hush-hush!" Willy cried.

"Just hit him, Buffy!" Kendra spoke up.

"She likes to hit." Buffy said to Willy.

"You know, m-maybe I did hear something about this ritual. Yeah, i-i... I-it's coming back to me. But, uh, I'd have to take you there."

"Let's go."

"First we must return to de Watcher." Kendra interjected, right according to plan.

Buffy stopped for a second, "Excuse me? While we run to Giles, this whole thing could go down!"

"But it is procedure." Kendra argued.

"It's brainless, you mean!" Buffy insisted, "If we don't go now, Angel could die."

Kendra was really getting into her role, "Is dat all you're worried about? Your boyfriend?"

"No, it's not all, but it's enough."

"It's as I feared. He clouds your judgment. We can't stop dis ritual alone!"

"Are you listening to me? He could die!"

"He's a vampire." Kendra said, "He should die. Why am I de only person who sees it?"

Xander heard an odd thumping sound that he couldn't identify, before Kendra spoke again.

"Are you dat big a fool?"

Buffy didn't reply.

"Good riddance, den." Kendra said.

A moment later, Buffy and Willy exited the bar, and it explained the strange thumping sound. Willy was on crutches for his broken leg. He and Buffy headed west, and seconds after that, Kendra exited the bar, and got into the car.

"It worked," She said, "He's leading us to da church."

They followed behind at a good distance so that Willy would be none the wiser. He led them to a run down old church on the outskirts of town. Cordy parked the car, and Xander and Kendra got out.

"Got some killin' to do. Be back soon." Xander said.

He charged forward, kicking in the door to the church, which was blown off the hinges and flew across the room, slamming into a fledgling vampire. He then ran in, Kendra following in his wake.

"You!" Spike cried, seeing Xander. Then he saw Kendra, "And who the hell is this?"

Kendra kicked at the cop assassin, who was holding Buffy, which knocked the slayer into Spike, who both tumbled. Buffy jumped to her feet.

"It's your lucky day, Spike."

"Two Slayers!" Kendra cried as she punched Spike in the face.

"No waiting!" Buffy finsihed, following up Kendra's punch with one of her own.

The two slayers fought Spike and the cop assassin, while Xander dealt with the fledgling guards. There were eight of them, and Xander was having fun. He staked two, one with each hand, then tossed aside the stakes, and grabbed a vampire, lifting it over his head and tossing it into two more, knocking them over like bowling pins.

"Steerike!" he called, before being punched in the face by another of the vamps, which barely rocked his head back. He grinned evilly, and shoved his hand through the chest of the vampire turning it to dust.

At this point the pile of three was just climbing to their feet. He sped around behind the vamp on the left, and grabbed it in a headlock, twisting it's head from it's body. He grabbed the other two, and slammed them into each other before wrapping one arm around each of their necks, and ripping their heads off.

The last two vamps chose that moment to act. They tackled Xander together, knocking him to the floor, and piling on top of him. They took turns punching him in the face, but it did little to slow the twilight vampire, and he lunged up, throwing both vamps off of him. He sped over to where he left the stakes, picking up one, and rushing over to stab one of the vamps, turning it to ash. He then stood, facing the last vamp in the room, not counting Spike and Drusilla, and held his hand out in a 'come hither' motion. The vamp lunged at Xander, who caught him by the throat with one hand, and stabbed him with the other.

Xander turned in time to see Buffy grab a censer from the alter and after swinging it on the chain, let it go on a path straight into the back of Spike's head, which caused him to go flying into a pipe organ, which collapsed on top of him.

The building was on fire, so Buffy and Kendra helped Angel to stand, and helped him out of the building, Xander on their heels. He didn't know how destructive fire was to him, and didn't want to find out.

They made their way to Cordelia's car, when they were confronted with a horrific sight. Cordy lie in the street next to her car, blood dripping from a wound on her neck.

"Oh god, Cordy." Xander said, kneeling next to her body. "She was only here because of me."

Buffy sniffled. "We left her alone at night, in Sunnydale."

Suddenly, Xander heard something, it was soft and weak, but still there. "She's still alive! I heard her heart beat. We can get her to the hospital."

"She'd never make it." Buffy said, "It's too late for her."

"No it's not. I can save her." Xander said. "I know I'm going to regret this."

He pulled back his lips, baring his venom coated teeth, and bit her.


	6. 06 – Ted Part 1

Chapter 6 – Ted Part 01

Her eyes snapped open and she looked around frantically, confused for a moment. She spotted Xander, and she froze.

"What- What's going on?" She asked, "What's happening to me?"

Xander understood what she was going through, he remembered what it was like perfectly, "I know all your senses seem hyper-aware, right now, but you'll get used to them in a moment."

They were in his home at what used to be the sunset cub, as he didn't want anyone with a heartbeat near Cordelia, until he was sure she could control herself.

She stood from the bed, and saw herself in the mirror hanging on the fall wall. She slowly raised her arm, gently touching her face.

Then she suddenly snapped around looking at Xander. "You bit me!"

"Yeah, and you're alive." Xander retorted.

"You bit me!"

"Yeah, and you're alive, did I mention?"

"Oh my god, I was dying, and you saved me."

"I did." Xander said.

"How can you say I'm alive though, I'm dead. I'm a vampire."

"We're not like the undead soulless vamps in Sunnydale. We are living people with souls who were infected by vampire venom, and it changed our bodies. I know I'm alive for a fact."

"How?" Cordy asked.

"I was holding this demon, Eyghon. He was possessing a dead body, so he could walk around in the world. When Buffy decapitated him, he had nowhere to go and burned up. If I was dead, he woulda possessed me, but he couldn't proving to me without a doubt that I am very much alive. And so are you."

"My throat," Cordelia ran her hands along her neck. "It burns."

"That's the thirst." Xander explained, "It's new to you, I know, but you'll get used to it. Here."

He handed her a container of cows blood. "It'll make your throat stop hurting for a bit. I'll take you hunting, but I won't trust you in the city full of humans, till you've had something to drink."

Cordy looked at the container he'd given her. "Eww. Blood? I can't drink that."

"You have to, Cordy. It won't taste all that great, it's only cow blood, but you aren't leaving here till you've drank something."

Reluctantly, she drank the blood.

"I know it doesn't taste that good, but at least no one died for this."

"Good. I don't think I could kill a human."

"You say that now, but you haven't been around them, yet. You haven't felt the animal part of you take over."

"You don't seem to have a problem with it."

Even though he didn't need to breath, Xander sighed. "You don't see me have a problem with it, that's a whole different matter. Luckily, you have me here to help you."

Cordy rolled her eyes. "Oh joy, an eternity spent with the dork. Oh yay."

"You know what, this isn't my ideal either, but I couldn't just let you die."

Cordelia began to sob tears that would never fall. "What does it matter to you if I live or die? I haven't exactly treated you good over the years."

"Doesn't mean I'd just let you die. Maybe I consider you a friend."

Cordy threw her arms around Xander's neck, sobbing into his shoulder. After her sobs subsided, she pulled away, looking into his eyes before moving forward, and kissing him. Their lips moved against each others for a moment, before she pulled away, gasping, surprised at herself. She dropped her arms and stared at him awkwardly, for a moment before speaking.

"We need to get out of here."

"Right, this way." He led her to the front door of his apartment. Don't breath as we pass through town, that way you won't be tempted to attack anyone. Follow me, and I'll lead you to a good hunting ground."

After locking the door to his below ground apartment, Xander was gone in the blink of an eye, Cordelia following moments after. They ran together across the state to a large animal preserve where he taught Cordy how to hunt, and how to feed. She enjoyed the blood of a cougar, while he imbibed the blood of a grizzly bear. A few deer later, they were ready to return to Sunnydale.

Seeing Cordy sparkle in the setting sun reminded Xander to get her the other amulet that was meant to protect vamps from the sun. When they arrived back at the apartment, they found Buffy and Willow waiting outside.

"Hey, there you are. We came to see how you are doing, Cordelia."

She began to growl softly, but still loud enough to be heard by the girls.

"Stay very still." He ordered the girls. He put his hand on Cordy's shoulder, squeezing tightly, holding her in place. "Control it. You can do this."

After a moment, she stopped growling, then shook her head, as if clearing it, then stopped breathing.

"I'm okay, I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" Xander asked.

"Yeah, I'm good." She stopped for a second. "Listen, you mind if I'm alone for a bit. I need time to think."

"Sure." Xander said. He handed her his key to the apartment door. "You can stay here as long as you need. I'll just go... elsewhere. I'll be back later."

"Thank you." She said, while lightly caressing his arm, causing Willow's eyebrows to shoot up.

Xander headed for the mouth of the alley that led to the entrance of what was once the sunset club, with Buffy and Willow following in his wake. After Cordy entered the apartment, Willow spoke up.

"What was all that back there, with the growling, and the touching?"

"She can still hear you, you know." He responded, causing her to flush scarlet.

He decided to ignore the part of the question that he didn't know the answer to himself, and focus on what he knew. "She's a newborn, and this was her first time being around humans. I'm actually surprised she did as well as she did. I expected to have to tackle her to keep her from attacking you. In the books, the newborns have to be kept separated from people for at least the first year, until they can learn to be around people again. I wonder why we are as controlled as we are."

"I don't know." Buffy added. "But if that's true, then you are doing amazingly well, being a newborn yourself."

"Well thank you, but I think that knowing about vampires has given us a leg up on the thirst thing."

They walked for a while, heading toward 1630 Revello Drive, Buffy's house, to gather some gear for hunting vampires.

Xander's voice echoed into the night. "You don't know what you are talking about."

"Xander, he was obviously in charge." Willow responded.

"He was a puppet. She was using him!"

"He didn't seem like the type of guy who would let himself be used." Willow commented.

"Well, that was her genius! He didn't even know he was playing second fiddle." Xander turned to the slayer. "Buffy."

"Huh?" Was her intelligent response.

"Who was the real power? The Captain, or Tennille?"

"Um... Who are these people?" She asked.

"The Captain and Tennille? Boy, somebody was raised in a culture-free environment!"

"I'm sorry," She said, "I was just..."

"Thinking." Willow finished for her.

"No, not thinking. Having a lot of happy non-thoughts. I love it when things are quiet around here."

"Yeah, with Spike and Drusilla out of the way, we've really been ridin' the mellow... and I am really jinxing the hell out of us by saying that."

Willow's grin could be seen, even in the dark, "Yeah, but we'll let you off, this time."

They walked for another minute, turning a corner near Buffy's house.

"So, we're pretty sure that there're not more Tarakan assassins coming our way?" Willow asked.

"Angel's sources say the contract's off." Buffy answered.

Xander's voice was dripping with sarcasm as he spoke. "How is Angel? Pretend I care."

She smiled, "Getting better."

And you're loving playing nursemaid?" Willow grinned back.

"Oh yeah."

"So, is it better than playing naughty stewardess?" Xander wondered.

"Xander." Buffy huffed. He just chuckled in response.

Together, they climbed the porch stairs on her house, and Buffy extended her arm, holding her house key. Attempting to insert the key into the lock, caused the door to swing open.

"You guys wait here a second." Buffy instructed, before entering the house cautiously. Xander listened as Buffy moved through the house, tracking her progress, by listening to her heartbeat.

The sudden sound of glass breaking, following by Misses Summers crying out broke the stillness of the night. Buffy charged forward, and Xander tensed his muscles, ready to charge in and back her up, if needed, when he heard Buffy speak.

"Oh, my... I'm sorry, I... I heard..."

"Uh, I-I-I broke a wineglass. Y-y-you're home early." Buffy's mother replied.

"Hi." Came the voice of a man, surprising Xander.

"Hi." Buffy said back.

"Oh! Uh, this is my daughter, Buffy." Buffy's mom said, "Buffy, this is Ted."

"Come on, Will." Xander said. The two move through the house, to the kitchen, where the others are standing in awkward silence.

"Hi. Misses S. How are ya?" Xander asked.

"Oh, hello there, Xander. Hello, Willow. This is Ted."

Willow waves at them, hyper aware of the tension in the air.

"You know what, we're just about to have dinner, why don't you two stay?"

"Sure." Willow said.

"I'll stay," Xander spoke up, "though I don't really have much of an apatite. I already ate."

"Xander Harris not hungry?" Joyce summers asked, "Are you sure you aren't sick?"

She moved forward, raising her hand to check his temperature with her hand, but Xander held up his hands, stopping her.

"It's kind of embarrassing, but it turns out I have..." He could smell pizza cooking, and even though it smelled horrible to him, he could tell what it was, "A wheat allergy."

"Oh you poor dear." Making Xander snicker internally, thinking about the deer he had eaten just before meeting up with Buffy and Willow. "Then I guess you can't have any of Ted's wonderful pizza's."

"That's alright." Xander said. "I'm getting used to it. What sucks is, I can no longer eat Twinkies."

Willow gasped. She hadn't thought of that, even knowing he couldn't eat food anymore. She knew how much Xander loved Twinkies.

Ted began to discuss computer stuff with Willow, while Joyce pulled Buffy away into the dining room. Xander's hearing could easily pick up their conversation.

Buffy Spoke first. "So. All these late nights at the gallery recently I gather you were cataloging more than art."

"Well, I... I've been looking for the right moment to introduce you two." Joyce explained, "He's a wonderful man."

"How'd you meet?" Buffy asked. That was what Xander wanted to know himself. Things with Ted weren't adding up.

"Oh, he sells, uh, computer software." Joyce answered. "He redid my entire system at the gallery, freed up a lot of my time."

"To meet new people." Buffy said, "And smooch them in my kitchen."

"You weren't supposed to see that." Joyce's voice sounded nervous. Xander got what he wanted and ignored the rest of what they were saying, to listen to what Willow and Ted were talking about.

"I like my new nine-Gig hard drive." Willow was saying.

"But you don't love it, 'cause without the DMA upgrade your computer's only half a rocket ship."

"Yeah, but who can afford the upgrades?"

"Well, you can! I get the demos for free, I don't see why I shouldn't give 'em to you for the same price! Any friend of Buffy's..."

Willow released a strange squealing giggle.

"Oh, that's the sound she makes when she's speechless with geeker joy. Lemme ask you a random question. Do you have a pacemaker?"

"No, Can't say that I do. Why do you ask?

"No reason," Xander lied, "just being random. Can I just say, The pizza's smell amazing. What is your secret?"

"Well, after you bake it, you fry it in herbs and olive oil, but you gotta use a cast-iron skillet. No room for compromise there."

Xander nodded, as if that made perfect sense. Moments later, Buffy and Joyce walked back into the kitchen.

"Hungry?" Ted asked, holding the plate of pizza's out to Buffy.

"No thanks," She replied.

"Buffy, I want to apologize." He said, "That wasn't how I wanted us to meet. I wanted it to be... perfect. I'm very fond of your mother, I guess that's pretty obvious. I know you're the most important thing in her life, and, well, gosh, that makes you pretty important to me, too."

Joyce moved to stand next to Ted, "Buffy, I really want you to be okay with this."

"Beg to differ. We really want you to be okay with this." Ted corrected her.

"I'm okay." Buffy said.

"You are?" Joyce asked.

"I am." Buffy said, with a smile that Xander could tell was entirely fake.

Xander sat at the table, with his own fake smile, while everyone other then Buffy ate the pizzas, Willow going on about how great they were. After dinner, Xander walked Willow home, before going on patrol. After walking two empty cemeteries, he ran into Buffy and Giles, at the park. They both sat and watched Buffy fight a vampire.

She used the lid from a steel trash can as a shield to block his swings, then started to bash the vamp over the head with it, as Xander sat back and watched, aware that she needed to work out some tension.

After hitting him three times with the trash can lid, Giles tried to intervene.

"Buffy? I-I believe he's, he's, um..."

She hit the vamp with the trash can lid twice more, before dropping it, and smashing him in the face with her fists.

Giles tried to intervene again, "It, it's, it's staking time, really. Don't you think?"

Buffy hit him twice more, and kicked him a few times, before finally staking him. Once the vamp was dust, Buffy turned to Giles.

"Any others?"

"Well, for their sakes, I certainly hope not."

"Feeling better?" Xander asked.

Buffy glared at Xander, causing him to put his hands up in capitulation. Turning back to Giles, Buffy spoke.

"I kill vampires, that's my job."

"Well, true, true," Giles acquiesced, "Although you don't usually beat them into quite such a bloody pulp beforehand. Everything alright?"

"Yeah! Fine!"

She stepped up onto the bench of the picnic table the two were sat at, and sat on the table top.

"I killed a vampire here on Wednesday. Why are they hanging out at the park?"

"Well, they're... scattered, you know. Now their leaders are gone, with any luck dead. In times of crisis they usually return to the easiest feeding grounds."

"Vampires are creepy," She commented, causing Xander to scoff, and she was quick to correct herself. "The soulless non-you vampires are creepy."

"Thank you."

"Yes, that's why one slays them." Giles said.

"I mean, people are perfectly happy getting along," She ranted, "And then vampires come, and they run around and they kill people, and they take over your whole house, they start making these stupid little mini pizzas, and everyone's like, 'I like your mini pizzas,' but I'm telling you, I am-"

"Uh, uh, Buffy! I-I believe the... subtext here is, is, rapidly becoming, uh," He stopped to clear his throat, "Uh, text. Are you sure there's nothing you want to share?"

"No. Forget it." She looked around for a moment. "Think there'll be any more? I-I can wait."

"Buffy's mom is dating, and Buffy here is less then thrilled."

"If you say one more word, things will become dire." Buffy commented.

"Sorry Buff, but this needs to be talked about. You obviously don't like him."

"I don't know him. I... I mean, so far all I see is someone who apparently has a good job, seems nice and polite, and my mother really likes him."

"Oh god, what kind of monster is he?" Xander faked being afraid.

"I'm just saying there's something a little too clean about this clown."

"Maybe there is something wrong with him, but that's not why you don't like him. I think maybe we're in Sigmund Freud territory."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Subconsciously, you fear your mother being taken away from you, her attention divided."

"I do not." Buffy insisted.

"Uh huh." Xander muttered, raising an eyebrow at the blonde.

"Okay, I admit it's weird. Seeing my mother frenching a guy is definitely a ticket to therapy land, but it's more than that. I'm pretty good at sensing what's going on around me, and there is definitely something wrong with this guy."

"Thing is, you aren't wrong. He's not human. At least he didn't smell like it. And I could hear a strange clicking coming from within his chest. I asked him if he had a pacemaker, which he denied."

"So you think he's a demon?" Giles asked, entering the conversation for the first time.

"He didn't smell like any demon or vampire I've ever smelled. Didn't smell dead. Just smelled very faint, almost metallic."

Buffy and Giles soon left to head to their individual homes for sleep, while Xander swept the cemeteries, then headed for the Bronze, and who should be there, but Bella Morgan.


	7. 07 – Ted Part 2

AN: Sorry for taking so long to update. I get easily destracted by shiny things and new stories. My Q story took up all my time, but now I'm back here, so no more worries.

Chapter 07 – Ted Part 02

"Hello again, hero." Bella said, "You disappeared on me the other night."

They were standing on the upper level of the bronze, Xander leaning against the railing.

"I do a lot of that." He stated.

"Why?"

"I'd like to think that I'm dark and mysterious."

"Oh you definitely are." She purred, as she slinked closer to Xander. She put her hands on his chest and leaned up to kiss him, but he turned away.

"I can't do this with you, I'm sorry."

"Why ever not?" She asked.

"I'm too dangerous. I don't want to hurt you."

"I don't think you could." Bella whispered softly.

Xander grabbed the steel railing in his hands, and pulled lightly. The steel pipe broke in two, bending upward into a crooked 'U' shape, as if it was made of play-doh.

"If I wasn't careful, I could reach out to caress your face, and crush your skull without even meaning to."

"What are you?" She asked, sounding hopeful and slightly intrigued. Xander walked behind Bella, out of her line of sight.

"The thing monsters fear." Bella turned, and found Xander gone.

Xander arrived home to find Cordelia waiting for him.

She grinned sultrily at him. "Hello, dweeb." She approached him slowly, reaching out to press her hands against his broad chest, when she froze. "Who were you with tonight?"

"Buffy and Willow, you saw them."

"You have perfume and the scent of a female clinging to you, and it's not from one of them."

"Oh." He turned to walk away, but she grabbed his arm.

"Answer me."

"What does it matter to you?" He asked.

"You made me like this, so you and I are stuck together."

"Yes, but we're not... together."

"Aren't we?" She asked silkily, "Unless you think you can be with a soft squishy human, I'm your only option."

"I'm sorry, but I don't want to be picked by you, or anyone else, because I'm the only option. You don't want me, you are just choosing me, because I'm the only one you can be with without wanting to kill them."

As it turns out, all of Xanders high morality, couldn't stand up to the feeling of Cordelia's lips on his.

The next morning, Xander watched the sun rise, out the window, as he contemplated sleep, or the lack there of. He missed coming awake, slowly having the world come into view.

"I miss being able to sleep." Said the very naked Cordelia Chase, who was lying in the bed next to him.

Xander chuckled, "I was thinking the same thing." He sighed heavily, and got out of the bed, searching the floor for his clothing. "Do you feel like you could go to school without killing anyone?"

"Yeah. I'm willing to try it."

"Just remember, if you feel overwhelmed, stop breathing, then get out of the situation as quickly as you can. We share most classes, so I'll be there to help you if you need it."

"I should probably go home after school," Cordelia said, "I haven't been there in four days, and the housekeeper will be worried. It's a good thing my parents are out of town."

She stretched luxuriously, her naked body glistening in the morning sun, and Xander couldn't help but stare. She was beautiful before becoming a vampire, but the venom had corrected all the minute flaws, and perfected the human body, making her one of the sexiest women he had ever seen.

"My eyes are up here, dork."

"Really?" Xander asked, "After everything we spent most of the morning doing, and you're still going to call me names?"

"You'll always be a dork to me." She said, sweetly.

She finally exited the bed, and gathered her clothes. "By the way, you're totally taking me shopping after school."

"Why me?" Xander asked.

"Because that's what boyfriends do."

"Oh, I'm your boyfriend now, am I?"

"You think I'd do what I did last night with someone who wasn't my boyfriend, think again."

"Here." Xander opened the gilded box, and handed her the second amulet which she put around her neck, before putting on his own. They both immediately stopped shimmering in the sun, and their pale skin took on a healthy tan. "Now you won't stand out during the day."

"Thank you." She sounded almost heartfelt.

He nodded, before leading the way out of the apartment, and to the school. They went their separate ways, Cordelia to find her friends, and Xander to find Buffy and Willow.

The three were soon walking together. It didn't take long for weirdness to occur.

"Hi Ted," Xander said, rather surprised, "Ted, who is here for some reason."

"Hello, kids." Ted greeted.

"What are you doing here?" Buffy asked.

"I'm updating the software in the guidance office. Which reminds me," He pulled several disks from his pocket and handed them to Willow, "Your upgrades."

Willow grinned widely, "Oh, what a day! Thank you!"

"Think nothing of it. Buffy, do you like miniature golf?"

"Who doesn't?" Xander asked, calculatingly.

"Well, your mother and I were thinking maybe this Saturday we could drag the three of you out to the course, spend some time swinging the iron with the stuffy old people."

"Well uh..." Buffy began.

Ted spoke up, "I'm making a picnic basket."

"With mini-pizzas?" Willow asked.

"And cookies."

"You know what, we, we would love to, honestly, but, um, unfortunately we have that thing on Saturday." Buffy shot a look to Willow, begging her to agree.

"Oh," She agreed, "That thing." They both looked to Xander trying to get him to back them up.

"Hey, we can do that thing anytime. I'm tired of doing that thing." He looked at Ted, "We're on!"

After Ted left, Buffy asked, "Why did you do that? You know that he's not human."

"Who's not human?" Willow questioned.

"Ted's not human." Buffy answered.

"Ted's not human?" Willow wondered.

"We need to keep an eye on him." Xander said, "Besides, do you really want him alone with you mom?"

"You have a point there." Buffy commented.

That night, Xander invited Cordelia to join him on patrol. She was against it at first, until he pointed out that there was very little that could actually hurt her. Using her strength and speed, she started to enjoy staking vampires, after beating them up, and picking their pockets, of course. As it got later, She went home to make an appearance, while Xander went to the Bronze to sweep it for vampires.

"Hello, my hero."

Xander turned to see Bella Morgan standing behind him, approaching slowly, her lithe body moving like a cat, her hips swaying.

"Bella... what a surprise." Xander said deadpan.

"It's kinda become our place, hasn't it? Up here, in the dark."

"What are you doing here?" Xander asked.

"I wanted to warn you, you can't scare me off that easily."

"I don't want to scare you, but you needed to know the truth."

"I don't care what you are, I trust you." She came closer, leaning forward to kiss him, when he backed up a step.

"I need to go. Perhaps another night." And he was gone.

He wasn't home long, when Cordelia arrived. She pulled him to her, and they kissed deeply, before moving to the bedroom. Hours later they lie in bed naked together, holding each other, while talking about their day.

"My friends wanted to know where I got my work done. They think I had surgery to look this good."

"No," Xander said laughing, "Just the venom makeover."

The weekend arrived quickly, and Xander the vampire met up with Willow and Buffy, along with Ted and Buffy's mom, at the mini-gold course. A few holes in, and it's Xander's shot.

"Ah, the dreaded five-par cuckoo clock. Ha! So many have come, so few have conquered."

He set the ball on the green, and lined up his shot carefully, before taping the ball and watching it pass through the large clock.

"That picnic was delicious." Joyce spoke up. "You know how rare it is to find a man that cooks?"

"I know I've been looking a long time for one. So, Buffy, I bet the boys are lined up around the block tryin' to get a date with you."

"Oh, they are," Willow started, before being elbowed by Buffy, "but she's only interested in... uh, her studies! 'Book-cracker Buffy', it's kind of her nickname."

Ted smiled, "Well, glad to hear it. I bet that means your grades will be picking up soon."

"My grades?" Buffy questioned, before walking over to her mother, "How does he know about my grades?"

"I told him. He wants to know everything about you. He's concerned. That's a good thing." She watches as Ted makes his shot. "Oh, nice shot, Ted!"

After everyone took their shots, they moved on to the next hole, which had a large castle, and Buffy was up first.

"Keep your eye on the ball. Watch those elbows!" Ted called.

Being frustrated, she hit the ball too hard, which ricocheted off the castle, and ended up on the rough.

"Oh! Bad luck, little lady!" Ted cried.

"Oh, we won't count it." Joyce said.

"We Won't?" Ted asked.

Buffy, who was moving toward her ball to retrieve it for another shot, turned back to glare at Ted.

"Well, it's just miniature golf."

"It is, but the rules are the rules." Ted declared. "And what we teach her is what she takes out into the world when we're not there, whether it's at school or an unchaperoned party."

He looked to Buffy, before continuing, "I don't mean to overstep my bounds, this is between you and your mother, I just think right is right."

Xander moved over to Buffy's side, then whispered softly into her ear, "Be calm, Buff, remember why we're here. To keep her safe."

Buffy took a deep breath, and nodded. "Thank you."

Xander smiles softly at Buffy, before returning to the tee off point.

"He has a point." Joyce said, referencing what Ted said.

"Fine. I'll just go hit my ball from the rough." She moved to where he ball lay, behind the castle, and picked it up, before dropping it in the hole. "Hey, how 'bout that! Got a hole in two!"

Xander super-hearing heard Ted's angry voice, from where he stood. "Beg to differ."

"Okay, so fine my score or whatever." Buffy said, uncaring.

"I think you're missing the point here, little lady. Right is right, wrong is wrong. Why don't people see that?"

"It's just a game." Buffy pointed out.

"Right, it's just a game, do your own thing, well, I'm not wired that way. And I am here to tell you it is not a game! It does count, and I don't stand for that kind of malarkey in my house!"

"Excuse me for a moment," Xander said, walking human speed around the castle.

"Then I guess it's a good thing I'm not in your house." Buffy said to Ted, as Xander moved behind the computer salesman.

"Do you want me to slap that smart-ass mouth of yours?"

"I dare you to try." Xander interrupted. "You'll live just long enough to watch your own heart stop beating."

Ted turned to face Xander, and saw Willow and Joyce coming up behind him. His angry look was gone, and he was grinning. "Who's up for dessert? I made chocolate-chip cookies!"

"Cookies!" Willow cried. Buffy and Xander shared a look, before moving toward Joyce.

"Yeah! I-I made, uh, too many, so you guys are gonna have to take some home!"

Xander watched Buffy mystified face as everyone else happily munched on cookies.

"Mm! Buffy, you've got to try one of these!" Joyce said, "They're really good! Mm!"

Buffy just glared at her mom.

Monday at school, Xander and Buffy approached Willow, and asked her to check out Ted.

"What do you mean, check him out?"

"I mean investigate him. Find out his secrets, hack into his life."

"Buffy, it just seems like you want him to be corrupt, or something."

"The guy lost his senses over mini-golf. And then, he told mom Xander is a bad influence on me."

"What?" Xander asked.

"She told me this morning." Buffy informed them, "Must have been a reaction to you defending me."

"I don't like this guy." Xander said. They moved to a bench and sat down, when Cordelia Chase walked by.

"Hey, Cordy! Nice outfit." He said. She was after all, wearing one of the outfits he bought for her when they were at the mall together.

She stopped and turned to him, "Oh, very funny."

Xander was very confused by her reaction, "Not really."

"Well, why don't you just keep your mouth shut!" She cried, before storming off.

Xander turned to his friends, "Would you guys excuse me for a sec?"

He chased after Cordelia, moving a fast human speed. When he caught up with her, he grabbed her arm.

"What is wrong with you?" She asked.

"I gave you a compliment." Xander replied.

"In front of your friends. They're gonna know."

"Know what?" Xander demanded, "That I'm your boyfriend? Would that really be such a bad thing?"

"Do you know what that coming out would do to my social standing?"

"Maybe I don't care. And maybe you shouldn't either. Maybe you should decide what's more important. Me, or what your friends think."

And with that he left, going back over to Buffy and Willow. Cordelia opened her mouth to stop him, but no sound came out. Finally she turned and walked away, looking especially sad.

"Let's start small." Buffy was saying, as Xander returned, "Can you find out where he works?"

Willow nodded, and they got up together to head to classes.

That night, Xander was on Patrol, as Buffy was supposed to be at home, when he spotted her in the park, sitting on a swing, calling out in a soft voice.

"Vampires... Here, vampires..."

He approached her, and slid into the swing next to her. "Just me."

"Oh, Hi Xander. What are you doing out here?"

"I was patrolling, so you could have dinner with your mom."

"You're so sweet." She said softly.

"Hold on, are you telling me you left your mom alone with Ted. I thought we agreed that was a bad idea."

"It is. Would you come with me, to make sure she's safe?"

"Of course."

Together they headed to her house. Buffy climbed up the tree outside her bedroom, and through the window, while Xander waited outside. He could hear easily what was going on inside.

"What are you doing in here?" Buffy said to someone in her room. The tone in her voice got Xander worried.

"Your mother told you to go to your room, Buffy." Came Ted's voice from within Buffy's room. "You and I both know she didn't mean climb out a window and go gallivanting about town."

Xander quickly scaled the tree outside her room, and watched the confrontation as it escalated.

"First of all, this is my room, second..." She then noticed her belongings spread out on her dresser. "You've been going through my things?"

"Yes I have."

"That's my personal property! How dare you?!"

"I don't see how it's any different from you snooping around my office, do you?" He held up a book, which Xander suspected was probably a diary, "What exactly is a Vampire Slayer?"

"It's none of your business."

"Beg to differ, little lady. Everything you do is nothing but my business from now on."

"I think you better get out of here. Now!"

"Or what?" Ted asked, "You'll slay me? I'm real. I'm not some goblin you made up in your little diary. Psychiatrists have a word for something like this: delusional. So, from now on, you'll do what I say, when I say, or I show this," He held up the diary, "To your mother, and you'll spend your best dating years behind the wall of a mental institution. Your mother and I are going to be happy. You're not going to stand in the way. Sleep tight!"

"That's mine, and you are not leaving this room with it!" Buffy demanded, grabbing his arm.

"Take your hand off me." Ted ordered.

"No."

Ted swung fast, striking Buffy across the face, throwing her into the wall. She had just begun to stand, when a growling blur slammed into Ted, throwing him back into the wall.

"Are you okay?" Xander asked her.

"I'm fine." She replied.

Xander turned to face Ted. "You shouldn't have done that."

In a blur, Xander charged the older man, slamming him through the closed bedroom door, and into the far wall, cracking the plaster. Xander approached the man, who was pulling himself out of the depression in the wall. He pulled his arm back, and punched Xander, who's face didn't move, causing sparks to shoot out of Ted's broken hand.

"Oh..." Xander said, "He's a robot." Then he punched Ted, who landed near the top of the stairs. Xander growled softly, and lunged at the robot, the both of them rolling down the stairs, landing next to a shocked Joyce Summers.

Xander landed on top of the robot, then grabbed the his human looking head and pulled sharply. Joyce screamed, as Ted's head came off, trailing sparking wires the whole way.

"Um... Hi Misses S." Xander said, standing, still holding Ted's sparking head.

Joyce stared at the body. "He's... He's a... What is he?"

Xander smiled sheepishly. "I believe the correct word is android."

Joyce's eyes rolled back, and she fainted.

"Mom!" Buffy cried, as the woman fell. Buffy checked her over. "She's alright, just out cold."

"Alright, I'll get rid of this thing, while she's out." Xander said, picking up the robotic body, and hefting it over his shoulder. He exited the house, and ran too fast for humans to see, back to his apartment, depositing the body in the living room. He was soon back at Buffy's house.

"How is she?" Xander asked Buffy, who was folding up a moist cloth, and setting it on her mothers forehead.

"She's alright. Probably be awake any second." She was interrupted by Joyce groaning, as she regained consciousness.

"What... what happened?" Joyce asked.

"Um... You fainted." Buffy said.

"Yes!" Joyce cried, "I saw Xander pull the head off of Ted, and he was an-"

"Android." Xander finished for her. "He was a machine. I'm sorry you had to find out that way."

"But... But that's not possible."

"You'd be surprised what exists out there in the dark."

"Xander!"

He pulled Buffy intot eh kitchen, out of her mother's hearing range. "Maybe it's time you tell her the truth."

"You think I should?"

"I think it would make your life a bit easier if you don't have to lie so much."

She thought about it for a minute. "Maybe you're right."

They turned back to the living room. "Mom... I'm a Vampire Slayer."


	8. 08 – Bad Eggs

AN: I finally gave Xander a power. The details will be explained at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 08 – Bad Eggs

"I told her everything." Buffy said. "I told her all about being a slayer, what happened to you... everything."

It was the two days after the destruction of Ted, and the first time that Buffy had patrolled, since telling her mom the truth.

"How'd she take it?" Xander asked.

"Better then I expected, though she did ask if I could stop being a slayer."

"Ouch." He said. "Well, give her time, I'm sure she'll come around."

"I will. At least she didn't throw me out. She actually packed me a snack for slaying." She held up a brown paper bag.

Xander grinned at that. "Well that's good. Means she's supporting you."

"We're going to the mall tomorrow."

"She wants to spend time with you. See, another good thing."

"So what'd you ever do with Ted?"

"Took him to my uncle's scrap yard. Threw him into the car crusher. Turned him into a cube."

"Ouch."

Two days later, after nearly being late to class, because they were making out in the utility closet, Xander and Cordelia had to run across the school to reach their class room.

"That was close." Xander said, too low for anyone other then Cordy to hear.

"If you hadn't distracted me, we'd have been on time." She replied.

"Hey, can I help it if I like kissing you."

She just shrugged. It was a very slight movement, not enough to be noticeable by the humans in the room.

"I'm still not happy with you." Xander mentioned, while the teacher droned on in the front of the classroom.

"Well I'm not happy with you either, but I don't have a choice."

"That's exactly what I mean." Xander sub-whispered. "You don't want me, you're just with me because you have no other choice, and I'm too stupid to walk away. I don't like hiding from my friends."

"Well I don't have a choice." Cordelia sub-whispered in return. "I'd loose my friends if they knew I was with you."

Xander sighed. "All in all, this is not what I'd call a big self-esteem booster."

Xander tuned back into the class, as the teacher started talking about sex.

"S-E-X. Sex. The sex drive in the human animal is intense. How many of us have lost countless productive hours plagued by unwanted sexual thoughts and feelings?"

Xander raised his hand. "Yes."

"That was a rhetorical question, Mr. Harris, not a poll."

He lowered his hand. "Oh."

"Of course, for teenagers such as yourselves these feelings are even more overwhelming. With all sorts of hormones surging through your bodies, compelling you to action, it's often difficult to remember that there are negative consequences to, uh, having sex. Would anyone care to offer one such consequence?"

"Well, that depends." Cordelia stated, "Are you talking about sex in the car or out of the car? Because I have a friend, not me, that was in a Miata, parked at the top of the hill, and then she kicked the gearshift, and, and..."

Xander raised his hand. "What about having to feign interest in her vapid little chit-chat just so you can get some touch?"

Cordelia immediately raised her hand again. The teacher, Mr. Whitmore, Sighed and indicated her.

"Like that compares to kissing a guy who thinks the Hoover technique is a big turn-on."

Willow looked back and forth between the two of them, quite confused.

"Now." Mr. Whitmore said, "Another consequence of sexual activity? Anyone?"

Cordy raised her hand.

"Uh... else?" Whitmore continued.

Willow raised her hand.

"How about pregnancy? That would be a major one, right?"

"Thank you, Ms. Rosenberg! Among teens unwanted pregnancy is the number one negative consequence of sexual activity. So, as discussed last week, I present you with your offspring." He pulled a sheet off trays of eggs. "You will split into parenting teams. You and your partner will share equally in the daily task of raising your egg. Now, please choose a partner and come pick up your children."

Xander grinned at Cordelia, but she glared at him, before pulling on the shirtsleeve of the boy sitting next to her.

"You wanna have a baby?"

"Fine," Xander sub-whispered, "Good luck keeping your secret from him."

He stood, and went to the front of the room. Seeing a girl there, getting an egg he spoke.

"I know we just met, but isn't that Xander Jr. you're holding?" She giggled and smiled at him. They moved to the back of the class together.

Later, in the library Buffy, who missed the class, was passed an egg by Willow.

"As punishments go, this is fairly abstract."

"No it's your baby." Willow said.

Buffy stared at the egg. "Okay, I get it even less."

"Well, you know, it's the whole 'sex leads to responsibility' thing," Xander explained. "Which I personally don't get. You gotta take care of the egg. It's a baby. You gotta keep it safe and teach it Christian values."

"My egg's Jewish." Willow commented.

"Then teach it that Dreidel song." He said, making her smile.

Buffy vehemently denied her ability to take care of anything. "I killed my Giga Pet. Literally, I sat on it and it broke."

She set the egg down on top of a stack of catalogs.

"You'll do fine!" Willow insisted.

Xander grinned, "Yeah, the only thing that stresses me is when do we tell them that they're adopted?"

It's then Buffy found out she doesn't have a partner on the project.

"I'm a single mother?" She asked in disbelief.

"No man of her own." Xander said.

"Do you know what this says about me? That I am doomed to lead my mother's life!" Buffy began to pace. "How deeply scary is that?"

"How 'bout this: it says nothing, it means nothing, this whole egg experiment thing is completely pointless!"

At that moment, Giles came out of the book cage, carrying a book, and crying 'Success'. He had been looking up information on the vampire that Buffy had ran into at the mall the night before. She figured that Xander was right about telling her mom the truth. After the encounter, she had forgotten to pick up her mom's clothes from the dry cleaners, and she was able to tell her the truth about why.

"At last. Your playmate is a fellow of repute, it seems."

He dropped the book right where Buffy's Egg lie. She inhaled sharply, snatching the egg away before it could be crushed.

Giles pointed to a picture in his book. "That's, um, Lyle Gorch, and that one's his brother, Tector. They're from Abilene. They, uh, they made their reputation by massacring an entire Mexican village in 1886."

"Friendly little demons." Buffy muttered.

"That was before they became vampires."

"Well I'm not worried. They're just two more vampires."

Giles cleaned his glasses before speaking. "Yes, well, the good news is that they're... not amongst the great thinkers of our times. I doubt if they're up to much. They're probably just drawn here by the, uh, Hellmouth's energy."

"'Nuff said. I propose that Buffy and I slay them. All in favor?"

Willow raised her hand. "Aye!"

"Just don't underestimate them." Giles said. "It's a good thing you have help, Buffy. In case of... of... Why do you all have eggs?"

Willow spoke up. "Hey, maybe you can have Angel help you find the Gorches."

Xander growled too low for the humans to hear. He may be with Cordelia now... in what ever kind of dysfunctional relationship it was, but he still didn't like Angel.

"Yes!" Giles said, "Yes, yes, that's not a bad idea. Strength in numbers."

Xander just rolled his eyes. "Oh, right. I see a lotta hunting getting done in that scenario."

"Please. Like Angel and I are just helpless slaves to passion. Grow up!"

Later that night, Xander was patrolling with Cordelia, when they came across Angel and Buffy, who were too busy kissing to notice them.

Unfortunately, Buffy and Angel were also too busy kissing to notice the Gorch brothers watching them.

The next day, Xander, Willow, and Buffy met up in the library.

"Oh! Why are you three hanging about? Don't you have classes to go to?"

"Teen health got canceled." Willow explained.

"Mr. Whitmore's out." Xander laughed, "Couldn't find an egg sitter or something."

"Well, then, can you give me a hand?" Giles asked.

Buffy and Willow both refused, but Xander was feeling magnanimous. He started shelving books, and with his full speed, was done in no time.

They discussed patrol the previous night, and Buffy explained that the Gorches were a no-show, not knowing how close they were.

Afterward, Giles pointed out that the girls were both unusually sluggish.

Buffy and Willow exchanged a look. "Maybe something we ate."

"Or perhaps it's the burden of parenthood. Notice how seriously you two have taken this egg thing. While I, in turn, have, uh, well, chosen a more balanced approach." Xander removed his egg from his shirt pocket.

He tossed the egg in the air, and caught it, hearing a small crack noise.

"Oops." Xander said, "Forgot about marble hard skin."

"How come it didn't break?" Willow asked.

"That's another secret to conscientious egg care: pot of scalding water and about eight minutes."

"You boiled you young?" Willow demanded, shocked.

"Yeah! I know it sounds cruel, but sometimes you gotta be cruel to be kind! I mean, you can bet that little Xander here is thick skinned now."

"Technically that would be cheating, yes?" Giles asked.

"No!" Xander insisted, "It's like a short cut. You know, when you run a race?"

"That would also be cheating." Buffy commented.

Willow shook her head. "You should be ashamed."

"I suppose there is a sort of... Machiavellian ingenuity to your transgression."

"I resent that! Or possibly thank you."

Xander took a breath in through his nose. "Wait a minute. What is that?"

"What is what?" Buffy asked.

Xander sniffed around a bit, following the smell to his cracked egg. Carefully, he peeled apart the shell, finding a strange purplish-gray creature inside the egg.

"The hell is that?" He wondered aloud.

At that moment, Cordelia entered the library. "Figures you three would all be hanging in the dungeon while something major's going on at Sunnydale High."

"And what would that be, Cordelia?" Xander asked, while poking the strange creature inside his egg. "Barrette Appreciation Day?"

"Mr. Whitmore didn't show today. And what is that smell?"

"This thing." Xander said, holding up the pink creature. "It was inside my egg."

Xander looked at Buffy and Willow. "I wonder if there's one in your eggs too?"

"Oh no!" Willow cried, "My poor baby could be a purple demony monster thing."

"Only one way to find out." He set her egg on the floor, and stepped on it. There was a squish, and a squealing cry, then nothing. Xander moved his foot to see a squashed purple blob.

"Eww." Cordy said.

"I'm right there with ya." Xander said, rubbing off his shoe. He took Buffy's egg, and tossed it full power against the floor. It opened, and the creature skittered away.

"Crap." Xander cried, "Get it!"

He chased after it, moving fast, but a knife flew past him, and pinned the thing to the floor. He glanced back to see a grinning Buffy, who had thrown the dagger. He quickly stepped on the creature, killing it. Learning his lesson, he quickly stepped on Cordelia's egg.

"Those things are nasty," She said, "what are they?"

"I'll research," Giles spoke up, "While the rest of you are in classes."

"You think these things have anything to do with Mr. Whitmore's disappearance?" Cordy asked.

"It's possible." Giles said.

"Well, I think we should look for him, don't you Xander?"

"Huh?" He asked.

"Well, his body could fall out of a closet somewhere... So we should check some closets to see if he's in a closet?"

Xander pointed at her, "You're right. There could be a closet. Let's go."

He then pointed at Buffy and Willow, "You guys look for more clues. We'll meet back here."

"We'll get right on it." Buffy said, unenthusiastically.

"Are they getting weirder? Have you noticed the weirdness of them?" Xander could hear Willow as, as they left the library.

After spending fifteen minutes making out in one of the janitors closets, they made it in time for the next class.

That night, Cordelia and Xander sat on top of a mausoleum watching over Buffy and Angel, while they kissed in the distance. Well, Xander was watching over them. Cordy was huffing unhappily. They could easily make out their voices even from this distance.

"It's late." Angel said, "You should really get home."

"What about the Gorches?" Buffy asked.

"I'll hunt. And Xander is still out there somewhere."

Xander scoffed. "It's like watching a bad romantic movie.

"Really?" Buffy asked, "You'd do that?"

"Sure don't care about him volunteering you." Cordy commented.

"Not like I have an early day tomorrow." Angel pointed out.

Buffy sighed, "True. At least I don't have to fill out my egg diary anymore."

"Your what?"

"Oh, I told you, that faux parenting gig we're doing at school. Like I'm really planning to have kids anytime soon. Uh, maybe someday, in the future, when I'm done having a life, but... right now kids would be just a little too much to deal with."

"I wouldn't know. I don't... Well, you know, I, I can't..."

"Oh. That's okay, um... I-I figured there were all sorts of things vampires couldn't do. You know, like work for the Telephone Company, or volunteer for the Red Cross, or... have little vampires."

"So you don't think about the future?" Angel asked.

"No."

"Never?"

"No."

"Angel, when I look into the future, a-a... all I see is you! All I want is you."

"I know the feeling." Angel said.

"Oh gag." Cordelia said.

Angel and Buffy began to kiss. Xander stood up, from where he was sitting. "Time to interrupt them, I think."

Together, they dropped from the roof of the mausoleum to the ground below, before approaching the kissing couple.

"Good thing we already killed all the vamps in this cemetery.

"Oh!" Buffy cried, pulling back, being startled by Cordy's voice.

"Sorry," Xander said, "didn't mean to interrupt."

"What are you talking about?" Cordy asked, "Of course we did."

Xander just sighed. "You should head home, Buff, your mom is probably waiting up for you."

"You're right. G'night, guys." She gave one more quick kiss to Angel, then headed off in the direction of her house. Xander and Cordelia could hear Angel leaving, and Xander just rolled his eyes, at the vampire's rudeness, to leave without a word to them.

The next day, Buffy, Willow, Xander and Cordelia met up outside the school, and headed for the library, to find Giles not there. Xander's enhanced eyes caught sight of a picture in one of the open books on the counter that looked familiar. He pulled the book to himself and began reading.

"'Pre-pre-historic parasite. The mother hibernates underground, laying eggs. The offspring then attach themselves to a host, taking control of their motor functions through neural clamping.'"

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Buffy asked.

"That Giles got neural clamped?" Willow said.

"Hey, you hear that?" Cordelia asked.

"Yeah." Xander answered. He got onto his knees, then put his ear to the floor.

"Hear what?" Buffy asked. She had enhanced hearing, but nothing in comparison to what the two twilight vamps had.

"Sounds like..." Xander started.

"Digging." Cordy finished.

"I think we just found the mama bezoar." Xander said.

Together, the four students left the library, and headed for the basement access door. They descended the stairs, and walked through the basement to the far wall, where they found a tunnel leading deeper underground. They followed the tunnel and came across a number of the school staff and students, including Giles and Mr. Witmore.

"What are they doing?" Willow asked.

"Looks like they're digging something up." Xander answered. They watched as Giles pulled eggs out of the hole, and set them in a crate, before passing it to a student, who carried it across the room and set it on top of another crate.

"Oh boy." Xander commented.

"We can't let them spread those eggs." Buffy said.

Buffy backed away to find a weapon, when she sees the Gorch brothers approach her.

Lyle grinned, "I told you this weren't over."

"She's so cute. And little. Think we can keep her?" Tector asked.

Buffy grabbed up a length of pipe, and using it like a bow staff struck the two vampires in the faces with it, before hitting Tector in the face, sending him flying back.

"Alright" Lyle cried out, "He's my brother!"

He lunged at Buffy, knocking them both out into the room where the digging is taking place. Lyle pulls away from Buffy, then noticed all the activity.

"What the hell is this?"

"We got these two." Xander said, "You and Willow get the towns people free."

Cordelia lunged at Tector back in the other room, while Xander punched Lyle in the face hard, breaking his nose, and causing blood to run down his face. Suddenly Xander's thirst roared to life, and before he could stop himself, he had on hand on Lyle's shoulder, and the other on his head. He beared his teeth and sank them into the vampire's neck, drinking the blood which flowed through the undead body. As he did, information flowed into Xander's head, faces and locations. Knowledge and memories.

Finally Lyle Gorch turned to dust as Xander pulled away from his body. A dribble of blood ran down Xander's chin, and he quickly wiped it away, feeling disgusted with himself. He turned in time to see Buffy with her pipe in hand dive into the hole the enslaved people had been digging. Moments later, there was a roar followed by a screech, then Buffy climbed out of the hole covered in blue slime. While she attempted to clean herself off, Cordelia and Xander carry the unconscious people out of the tunnel, lining them up in the hallway of the school.

Giles was the first to regain consciousness, and after Willow quickly informed him of what happened, he began to wake the other people, talking about a gas leak to explain away the lost time.

Buffy returned from the bathroom where she had cleaned up, and changed, before approaching her mother, who was looking rather confused. The slayer pulled her mother aside, and told her the truth about what happened. The woman looked shocked and a strange combination of scared of the events, yet proud of her daughter.

"What are we doing down here?" Cordelia asked, as she followed Xander into the sewers, the night after the events with the bezoars.

"I drank the blood of that vampire, and saw his memories. He and his brother had a camp near here," He explained as they turned a corner and found a site that was obviously lived in, "And they had stored lots of... ah ha."

He pulled a bag out from where it was stored, a bag full of money and jewelry from their victims.

"Pay dirt."

AN: That's right, he drinks human blood (or human blood from vampires) and can see their memories.


End file.
